Meddling in Mayhem
by Artemis Teilor
Summary: "It wasn't that I didn't like Sirius Black, I just didn't like what a playboy he was." Maree enters into the challenge of a lifetime when she accepts a bet from Sirius Black, and yet she would never regret a thing. SBOC RLOC JPLE
1. First Impressions

**A/N: What's happening guys?**

**This'll frustrate a lot of the people who have read my other recent Marauders Era piece, but I didn't like where it was going, or the most recent chapters or... well I didn't like much about it to be honest. So, I decided, after many months of planning and plotting and revision after revision in classes in which I should have been studying (yeah, you guys should never question my dedication to this) I have started writing it again. From the beginning. A lot of my characters have some different traits about them. If you didn't read my other one, that shouldn't bother you, but if you did PRETEND IT NEVER HAPPENED.**

**Re-introducing Maree Teilor, 5th Year Ravenclaw, and her friends  
>Alexa Piper, 5th year Ravenclaw<br>Grace Penthea, 5th year Gryffindor  
>and Alexis Trivic, 5th year Slytherin.<strong>

**_And for the record, I don't own any of J.K. Rowling's characters, or settings or the Harry Potter universe in general. I only own my own characters that I made up._**

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><p><strong>Chapter One - First Impressions<strong>

Everyone knew Sirius Black. It was near impossible to be in attendance at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and not know Sirius Black - infamous Marauder and devilishly handsome playboy. If you were a member of the female population of Hogwarts it was an exceptionally difficult feat to be able to claim that you didn't know who Sirius Black was and sound believable, which was why it was no surprise that my friends and I were well versed in the scandalous life of Sirius Black - who he was going out with, what he was wearing and occasionally what he had eaten for breakfast. The facts that some of the female members of Hogwarts knew about Sirius Black were terribly scarring for the small minority of students who just didn't give a crap, a minority I was proud to announce that I was a part of.

The fascination that swept through the castle over Sirius' antics was quite sickening to say the least, as some of the girls tore apart the building trying to get just a millimetre closer to the school's resident celebrity. It was these ridiculous girls that I found myself pushing through to make my way towards the scarlet engine that sat waiting as the clocks overhead ticked closer to eleven. I clung to my small shoulder bag as I pushed a group of second years to the side roughly amid shouts of anger and reproach. One of the blasted idiots hissed an insult under their breath and I whirled with my wand out as they hid behind their group of friends.

"Maree!" My head swivelled quickly at the sound of my name and I spotted a bright red-head waving at me over the hordes of rabid fan girls. I stood on my tip-toes and waved at her quickly before grabbing my wand from my back pocket and holding it over my head.

"I'm have a wand and I have no qualms in hexing anyone who stands in my way!" I shouted causing all the terrified younger students who were standing between me and my friend to shuffle out of the road anxiously, creating a direct path towards her which I ran down before running through the gap and flinging my arms around the bemused red-head.

"Lily!" I yelled as I released one of my favourite Gryffindors and held her at arms length, giving her a once over with a huge smile and noticing how she'd grown a bit taller over the holidays before continuing to gush, "I missed you so much! How was your summer?"

"Nowhere near as hectic as this," she responded as she motioned to the girls, "But then again, I've never really seen as many fawning teenage girls as I do at Hogwarts so..."

"I can't believe they've moved all their ridiculous fawning from Hogwarts to here as well," I whined throwing my arms over my head dramatically. Lily giggled at my dramatics as we tried our best to avoid the crowd that was undoubtedly surrounding the infamous Sirius Black.

Lily pushed her trolley a little ahead of us, her owl hooting happily in its cage on top of everything else as we tried to find an available compartment for her to stow her stuff away. She noticed some of the other Gryffindor girls and waved at them, bidding me a quick goodbye as she raced over to put her stuff with theirs. I waved at her retreating back and turned, scanning the top of the crowd for my best friend. I spotted the curly-haired brunette on the other side of the crowd with her family as she was hugging them. I stood on the balls of my feet and cupped my hand around my mouth.

"LEXIE!" I hollered over the crowd and the curly-top turned around, looking for the source of the noise before spotting me and waving. She motioned me over with a wave of her hand before turning back to her family while I was left to contemplate the quickest way to get to her.

I looked to either side of the group before sighing as I decided that straight through would probably be the quickest way to get to my best friend. I looked at the girls in front of me with a scowl and began to push, ignoring the whiny girls that complained as I trod on their feet or pushed then a little too harshly. Some of the girls noticed what was happening and parted politely, others forced me to shove them from my path while cussing under my breath as I was occasionally shoved back by some of my more bitter victims. I looked up to see Alexa was moving in from the other side with a huge grin on her face. As we had nearly reached each other a particularly vicious Gryffindor girl pushed me from behind so that my foot caught someone's trunk and I went sprawling, throwing my hands out in front of myself to break the impact against the concrete. I closed my eyes quickly and hit something hard with a grunt.

It took me a moment to realise that the thing I had hit was not nearly solid enough to have been the concrete ground of platform nine and three quarters. Thinking it was Alexa, I smiled up at my rescuer sheepishly before my eyes snapped open and I noticed the shaggy black hair and grey eyes. I back-pedalled quickly, taking a few steps away from him as if burnt before remembering the malicious fan girls around me that would rip me limb from limb if I got to close for daring to touch their handsome prince. Sirius watched me for a minute before he flung back his black hair and barked a laugh as I dusted myself off quickly.

"Thanks for that," I said looking at Sirius once more, feeling the eyes of the more malicious fan girls burning a hole in the back of my neck, "Sorry for falling on you."

"No problem, I never mind when a pretty girl falls for me," the deep voice of Sirius Black responded in a light tone. My mind was reeling for a moment as my left eyebrow rose in a sceptical gesture, unsure how to respond with the blatant flirting. I'd heard rumours of Sirius' tactics but I'd never encountered him myself, so I decided to play along for a bit. My eyes went wide and a bright smile lit up my face, the change was so quick that Sirius blinked a bit as if to convince himself that he had seen what he thought he saw.

"You think I'm pretty?" I asked with a tint of hope in my voice as I stared into his grey eyes, feeling absolutely ridiculous and realising I probably looked ridiculous from the sound of Alexa's laughter to my left. Sirius grinned cockily and I knew I'd got him. I could see some of the girls out of my peripheral vision glaring more heatedly as Sirius took a step closer to me.

"I definitely think you're pretty," Sirius responded as he moved closer towards me and I smiled before frowning up at his head and he paused in his approach and asked, "What?"

"Well, it's just," I began slowly before swallowing quickly as if I was unsure what I was saying, "Well, I don't think the pink in your hair suits you."

"P-pink?" Sirius stuttered as he turned away from me and yelled, "Prongs! Why is there pink in my hair?"

I saw my opportunity and fought the urge to burst out laughing as I grabbed Alexa from the mass of girls who looked ready to tear me apart, stood at an edge of the crowd and withdrew my wand pointing it at the lingering fans repeating my earlier threat. The girls parted quickly to let us through, with Alexa still chortling on my arm when we exited the other side of the group, hearing two angry teenage boys yelling from its centre. Alexa took a few deep breaths as she collected herself and straightened, before glancing over at me and breaking down in laughter all over again.

"Alexa! Maree! Over here!"

We turned together as one to see a girl with her head out of one of the train's windows waving us over, her long, hazelnut-brown hair swaying with each gesture of her hand. We smiled at each other and walked in her direction waving back brightly, She pulled her head back into the train and we found an entrance nearby and walked over to the compartment she'd been in. I ran into the compartment and hugged my other friend tightly, noticing my trunk was already in one of the overhead racks next to Alexa's.

"Hey Gracie!" I greeted as I pulled away and we both smiled at each other before she turned to hug Alexa as well and I noticed my last friend sitting in the corner with her light-brown hair tucked behind her ears as she poured over her potions textbook before I skipped over and hugged her as well crying out, "Alexis!"

Alexis grunted as I hugged her tightly before pulling away, poking my tongue out as she glared playfully at me. Alexa waved at Alexis and greeted her quietly before settling into her usual spot near the compartment door. I flounced across the compartment and lounged in the seat opposite Alexis, staring out the window at the platform as the whistle sounded overhead. The noise in the train increased as everyone piled off the platform and onto the steam engine. The noise down our end of the train was minimal as most people avoided sitting at the far end of the train, we loved it down here. I glanced around when I noticed someone missing, a certain red-headed Gryffindor who usually spent at least the first part of her trip with us.

"Hey guys, where's Lily?" I asked as I looked out the window to the platform for the fiery red-head before turning to my friends with a questioning gaze. Gracie shrugged and Alexis raised her hands palm up in confusion. Alexa sat in her spot thoughtfully before smiling around at us as if the answer was obvious.

"She'll be in the prefect's compartment, I'd bet my wand on it," Alexa stated smugly and I smacked my palm against my forehead with a smile.

"No duh! She'll have made prefect for sure! Five galleons that Lupin is the male Gryffindor prefect!" I said loudly, jumping out of my seat in excitement. Alexis started to laugh as Grace jumped out of the seat diagonal from me and shook my hand.

"I'll challenge that and bet on James, Dumbledore's got a weird sense of humour like that," Gracie responded as we stood holding each other's gaze with wide smiles on our faces as Alexa sighed from behind me. We released each other's hands and sat down quickly, giving each other smug smiles as if we'd already won the bet.

"You guys are utter morons," Alexa commented in a low voice and I flung my arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah, but utter morons that you couldn't live without," I responded poking my tongue out at her. She smiled and I threw my hands up in the air in victory, yelling my accomplishment at the top of my lungs. Alexa grabbed my arms and pulled them down, her cheeks turning red as she noticed the people staring in the corridor. I waved them along as Alexa tried to change the topic.

"So," Alexa began, "How was everyone's holida-?"

She was cut off as a pale, blonde girl with large blue eyes entered the compartment, slamming the door in the frame as she rushed towards Alexa and me. We smiled kindly at the girl as we noticed the little blue 'P' on her chest that indicated that she was our new prefect. Her name was Carla Mason; she was a nice girl who tried her best to get along with everyone and maintain the best grades possible. One of the friendliest girls in all of Ravenclaw Tower, but also one of Sirius Black's biggest fans and the main source of all our Marauder-related gossip.

"Oh my merlin guys, you'll never believe what just happened on the platform," She began, choosing to ignore Grace and Alexis and sitting in between us as she continued to gush, "Some girl pretended to fall on Sirius so she could grope him and then told him he had pink hair to distract him so she could make her escape into the crowd! How scandalous right? I wonder who would do such a thing."

"Me too," I said thoughtfully, trying my best to resist the massive urge I had to burst out laughing as Alexa snorted on Carla's other side causing Carla to send her a scandalised look before turning to me as I made my best to put on a serious face.

"And that's not even the best part!" Carla insisted, trying to implore that her information wasn't laughable.

"I didn't think it would be," I agreed in a bright tone, "What did this mystery girl do next? Don't tell me she went off and groped the other Marauders afterwards?" I heard Alexa giggling on Carla's other side as the prefect in between us and Carla even giggled a little herself before she continued.

"No! Though that may have been her plan," Carla added thoughtfully before shaking her head and returning to the topic at hand, "But anyway, apparently Sirius is trying to find this girl right now. I wonder what he'd want with a whore like her."

Alexa snorted and I reached around Carla to slap her across the back of the head as Mason looked between the pair of us with a satisfied smirk.

"I just wanted to be the first to let you guys know," Carla said with a smile as she got out of her seat and walked to the door before adding, "Tell me if you hear anything won't you?"

With a cheerful wave on her departure she headed off down the hall and Alexa buckled over in her seat in laughter as Grace and Alexis looked at us in confusion. I snorted, seeing the looks on their faces was too much and I was buckled over in laughter too. A minute later I was taking deep calming breaths as I sat up in my seat and wiped some tears from my eyes. I held up a finger to indicate that I wanted them to wait as I took some deep breaths to calm myself before turning back to my two other friends.

"Well, I'm glad she still considers us a part of the loop," I giggled looking at Alexa, "That was the most entertaining rendition of my antics that I've heard in a long time. And for the record, I did not cop a feel on Sirius Black."

"It did kinda look like it though," Alexa inserted with a smirk.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence there Lexie, real nice of you," I said with a grin.

"I'm confused," Gracie admitted as she grabbed her head to try to stop it from spinning as Alexis nodded at her side. I smiled at my three friends and launched into a quick recount of the morning's events as the train rattled away beneath us. As soon as I finished, Alexis and Grace were laughing along with Alexa and I. The three of us sat there laughing for quite a while before I sobered up a little and tried to regain control of my breathing, Alexa making the same attempt at my side.

"I can't believe," Grace puffed out in between laughs, "That you - did - that."

"I can," Alexis grinned, offering her hand for a high five which I returned with a good laugh.

"I'm actually kinda surprised that she didn't charm his hair pink then and there," Alexa admitted as she laughed along with the others, "Could you imagine his face?"

Alexa tried her best to contort her face to the way she imagined Sirius would have looked if his hair had actually turned pink and we all started to laugh ecstatically at the idea of Sirius Black being felled by his hair changing colour. It wasn't that we didn't like Sirius Black, we just didn't see the huge fuss that a man-whore such as himself represented.

"I'm gonna go see Severus and give him back his Potions notes so I don't have to bother later, I'll be right back, alright guys?" I said as I leaned over to retrieve the scrolls from my shoulder bag, got up and moved to the door, turning in the doorway to look at my friends one more time, "Be back in a few, yeah?"

"Want some company?" Alexa asked, already getting up but I shook my head.

"Nah, I know you don't want to have to deal with a pain like Severus on the train ride back, I'll be right," I responded before closing the door behind me and heading towards the front of the train so as to avoid arguing the point. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure that she hadn't gotten up and followed me anyway before smiling to myself in silent victory.

As I moved down the train I glanced into each compartment, smiling kindly at the people I knew and liked and sending rude gestures to those I didn't. I struggled to maintain my balance as each step threatened to send me rocketing forwards, spending a lot of my time with a hand firmly planted on the wall of the passageway. Each time I moved carriages I tried my hardest not to think of the ground passing quickly beneath me as my mahogany locks were blown into my face, but on more than one occasion I accidentally glanced down and ran into the next carriage without glancing back.

As I approached the front of the train I began to recognise more Slytherin students and smiled as I realised I was in the right place. I glanced into each compartment a bit quicker now, not wanting to gather the attention of any of the nastier Slytherins in their own territory. It would be a move I would sorely regret. I was almost at the end of the train when a voice behind me caused me to turn around.

"Teilor? What are you doing here?" I locked eyes with a thin boy with oily black hair standing a few metres behind me and smiled, holding up the scrolls in my hand so that he could see them. He raised an eyebrow as he smirked victoriously, obviously believing he had caught me in a trap.

"I never gave you any notes," he stated and I smirked back at him, moving closer.

"No, you didn't," I conceded, but I still held the notes out to him with a smile, "Lily did. She told me your notes were far better than her own. She also gave me strict rules as to how I was supposed to look after your notes, which I followed to the 'T' so they're in the same condition that they were in when I received them from Lily - not that you'll believe me, should you find anything wrong with them. But, there you go, thanks for the notes."

It took me a few steps to reach him, but I pushed the parchment into his hand and moved to leave when he stepped into my path with an enquiring look on his face so I retreated a step and waited with an eyebrow raised. When he didn't immediately explain himself I sighed and crossed my arms, deciding to prompt answers from the boy myself.

"Yes, Severus?" I asked as I began to tap my foot petulantly, leaning subtly against the wall to keep balanced in the blasted rickety train. Severus opened his mouth to reply when he was cut off by a deep voice from behind him.

"Well, well, look what we have here. What's a pretty lady like you doing with this oily grease-bag?"

I groaned and cursed my pitiful luck as a smile slid onto my face and I said, "Well, if it isn't Sirius Black. If you hadn't noticed I was in the middle of a conversation with one of my friends," I chose to particularly enunciate the word friend to annoy him before turning my attention back to Severus, "You were saying Severus?"

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you didn't like me," Sirius barked a laugh and my eyebrow arched at his arrogance, trying my hardest not to scowl in revulsion as I was hit on by Sirius Black.

"And what makes you think I do?" I responded, barely glancing away from Severus, "If you don't need anything, either of you that is, I'll be returning to my friends."

I waited only a moment to see if either of them would respond and when Sirius opened his mouth I smiled curtly and pushed past them both to get to the other end of the train. It took only a few glances into various compartments at the gawking teenage girls to notice that Sirius Black had followed me. I groaned and stopped abruptly jolting forward a little when he ran into me before glancing over my shoulder and sighing.

"Is there something I can help you with Black? My friends are waiting for me," I asked as I turned myself to face the boy. He was at least a head taller than me, and looked down at me with a cheeky grin.

"You totally like me," Sirius said and I rolled my eyes.

"Did you run into me a little too hard Black?" I asked in exasperation, "Or are you always this delusional?"

"It's so obvious," he responded, taking a step closer to me and causing me to take a step back, "How could a pretty girl like you not fall for a handsome guy such as me. Don't fight it love, I know your type."

"Oh you do, do you?" I asked sharply, raising my eyebrow and crossing my arms, "And, pray tell, what is my type? Because you're not it."

Sirius paused for a moment and I took that moment to turn on my heel and proceed to the next carriage, closing the door sharply behind me and stalking away quickly. I heard his footsteps behind me before I felt his hand on my shoulder as he turned me around, that cocky grin still plastered across his face.

"I'm every girl's type," Sirius responded arrogantly, I scoffed and shrugged away from his hand.

"Clearly not every girl's," I pointed out as I walked away from him again. Moments later I heard a yell from behind me as I reached the door leading to my carriage.

"I bet you I can make you fall for me!"

I turned, my thoughts racing as I processed the comment. A part of me realised that he just wanted the pride of saying he had caught another girl who wasn't interested - merlin knows how many of those he'd managed - but another part of me caused me to smirk as my grey eyes met his.

"You can try," I replied, "Ten galleons says you can't."

He smirked and nodded, agreeing to my terms and I smiled, calling out to him, "Pleasure doing business with you Black!"

I turned my head on the dark-haired playboy, opening the door between this carriage and the next, and stepping over the threshold, snapping the door closed on the persistent Gryffindor, quietly laughing to myself as I entered the next carriage and made my way towards my own compartment before bursting into a fit of laughter. Alexa looked up from the muggle novel on her lap and raised a questioning eyebrow at me as I took a few deep breaths before recounting what had just happened with a wide smile.

"- and the best part was he didn't even ask my name or my house or anything! He literally has no idea who I am except for what I look like," I finished with a wide smile at Alexa as I sunk into my seat near the window. Alexis and Grace grinned at me for a moment before returning to their game of Wizard's Chess as Alexis made her final move against Grace before turning her full attention to me.

"I bet that he does make you fall for him," Alexis said with a small grin, "Two galleons."

"You're totally on!" I yelled, offering her my hand, "I can't believe my own friend's doubting me."

"I'm not underestimating you Maree," Alexis replied as her grin grew, "I just don't believe in underestimating my opponents."

"You're talking like I'm going to war," I mumbled as I crossed my arms and sank into my chair petulantly.

"Well, with the amount of fan girls that'll want to destroy you for potentially monopolising their idol's time, you pretty much are," Alexa reasoned and my face fell.

"I forgot about them," I said, paling and lowering my head into my hands.

"Well, it should be interesting at least," Grace said with a small smile as she looked up at us, "I personally can't wait to see what happens."

The part of me that had agreed to this challenge sided with Grace but the other part of me, the smart part that had told me to walk away, was screaming in terror at the mess I'd gotten myself into. Life at Hogwarts had always being interesting and chaotic, but with the mess I'd gotten myself into this year, I could sense that the time was only going to be filled with mayhem. It was safe to say that this year at least, I wouldn't suffer a dull moment in those walls.

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><p><strong>So there you have it. <em>Meddling in Mayhem.<em> The re-write of Marauder Madness. I hope that I can be better with this then I was with Marauder Madness, but soon I'll have plenty of time free to dedicate to this so, I think I'll be fine. Reviews would be appreciated.**


	2. Second Impressions

**I'm sorry it's taken me so long to upload this new chapter. I've had it written for weeks but I never really got around to editing it until today... I know it's a lame excuse but I had my year twelve exams and then I suffered minor anxiety attacks over those, and then I suffered anxiety over the fact that this chapter wouldn't be as good as the first and that people wouldn't like it - and seeing as this story as received the most positive response I've ever gotten that freaked me out just a tiny bit. But here it is. Chapter 2.**

**I'd also like to say a quick thank you to my reviewers TWHATT18, millie-mae, Lexie and Black Rose Weasley as well as anyone who favourited or alerted my story. It means a lot.**

**I do not own any of the Harry Potter universe, credit for that goes to J.K. Rowling. I do however own:**

**Maree Teilor, 5th year Ravenclaw  
>Alexa Piper, 5th year Ravenclaw<br>Alexis Trivic, 5th year Slytherin  
>and Grace Penthea, 5th year Gryffindor<br>As well as any other non-canon characters.**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two - Second Impressions<strong>

If there was one thing everyone learned from going to school it was that the first days are always the hardest, no matter how hard you tried to make them more entertaining. So, indeed, it was inevitable that every single teacher in the entire school would put in their greatest effort to try to bore the students to death with a long-winded and redundant speech on the importance of their particular class and how hard we were required to study in order to get a good grade. The extremely boring teachers would drone on for nearly the entire period without letting up and refused to let the students ignore their well prepared oral presentations, but most tried to get the speech over as quickly as possible whilst having the most impact. This year seemed particularly terrible in the speech-making department, as each of the teachers saw the need to emphasise the significance of the OWLs we were going to have to undertake at the end of the year, and I was leaning back in my chair with my eyes drooping lazily closed to try to sleep through the first of many of these speeches when the door to the transfiguration classroom swung open loudly and some of the more noisy students filed in.

Among these students were several Gryffindors, and among these Gryffindors was Sirius Black and the rest of the Marauders. My eyes flew open as I jolted forward in my seat and looked determinedly at the front of the classroom as realisation dawned on me, I'd completely forgotten my bet I'd made and the mere thought of it caused me to groan out loud as Grace took the seat in front of me with Lily at her side. Her hair flipped in it's dark-brown ponytail as she turned to look back at me with a frown and an eyebrow raised in question before catching sight of the four most well-known boys in the school as they hovered, talking rather loudly, just behind my shoulder. She gave me a knowing smirk as she turned back to the front of the classroom to leave me wallowing in my distress.

"Evans!" James Potter yelled from somewhere behind me as he clearly caught sight of my red-headed friend before moving to stand next to her and running a hand through his already ridiculously messy black hair, "aren't you glad you get to bask in my presence in classes again. I know you missed me over the holidays."

"You're right Potter, I did miss you," Lily agreed as she leaned towards him causing him to lean closer from where he was standing and making me smirk as she continued, "As much as one misses the plague, or other deadly diseases."

James jumped back suddenly, as if he had been shocked and placed a hand to his heart dramatically, throwing his head back in theatrics as he moaned of the great pain she had caused him. I leaned over my desk and gave Lily a high-five while we laughed quietly, watching as McGonagall strode into the room and shut the classroom door.

"Settle down Mr Potter, before I am forced to give you a detention," McGonagall commanded and James retreated to the back row with a smirk of his own, taking the seat behind Alexa and next to Sirius, who was sitting behind me; fabulous.

I crossed my arms on my desk and nestled my head into them, closing my eyes and silently willing this class to end as quickly as possible and without too much of an incident. I was dozing quietly on my desk when I felt a sharp elbow in my ribs, causing me to look up and glare at Alexa while she nodded to the front of the class as McGonagall finished her opening speech and set a practical activity for the class to participate in. I ducked my head, hoping to avoid her gaze, but it was just my luck that she decided that I should be the one to hand the toads we'd be transfiguring to the rest of the class.

I groaned before pushing myself up slowly and moving to the front of the room and collecting the box of hopping monstrosities from McGonagall's desk, trying my best to hide my face from Sirius as I moved around the room as quickly as possible and handed out the slimy creatures. I looked up at the dark-haired boy once before I reached his row and smiled quickly to myself as I deposited the toad on his desk before finishing with the rest of the students and nearly running back to the front of the classroom in relief. I was almost in the clear, he wouldn't notice me so long as I didn't draw any attention to myself, and as fate would help it, I was walking past a girl I had insulted on the last day of term last year on my to the front.

By the time I noticed the foot that was in front of me, it was too late and I was sent sprawling to the floor, the few toads that had been left in the box hopping all over the place as I closed my eyes and braced for impact. I hit the floor with a thud, my knees and wrists burning from where they had scratched the floorboards as a collective squeal rang out around the classroom. I groaned as I opened my eyes and saw most of the girls standing on their chairs as the leftover toads hopped around the classroom, joined by the toads that had been on all the horrified girls' tables. I stood up quickly, horrified at the thought of any of those slimy monsters touching me as I threw my wand in the air and concentrated.

"_Immobulus_!" I yelled and immediately all the toads ceased in their movement while I rushed to grab the box and collect all the motionless toads, depositing some on the tables of the girls that had lost them, smiling as Alexa moved quickly to help. McGonagall made herself busy trying to coax the girls down from their chairs as I closed the box and placed it on McGonagall's desk at the front. I turned to see the person who had tripped me smirking from her spot in the second row and I sent a rude hand gesture in her direction. Her jaw dropped in horror and I smiled kindly, passing her and going to my seat, my eyes locking with the grey eyes of the boy in the seat behind me. I looked away quickly as I sat down, and twirled a loose strand of hair around my finger anxiously as McGonagall returned to the front.

"Miss Cooper, ten points from Ravenclaw for tripping up Miss Teilor," McGonagall said and I stopped my anxious twirling to grin victoriously at the other girl before my face fell as McGonagall continued with, "Miss Teilor, another ten points for that rude hand gesture."

I scowled sinking lower in my chair as Alexa giggled a little in her spot next to me and I shot her a small glare. If it wasn't bad enough that my knees and elbows were probably going to bruise from my fall, now my best friend was laughing at me and Sirius knew who I was - well there went that advantage in this bet. I groaned a little before I heard the giggling from Lily and Grace in front of me and I kicked the back of Grace's chair indignantly, sticking my tongue out at her when she turned to face me. She glanced over my shoulder and smiled devilishly before turning to the front as I felt a prod in my back. I turned sharply before remembering who was sitting behind me and hesitated before turning in my seat and raising an eyebrow.

"Is there something I can do for you Black?" I asked, aware that Alexa was listening to the conversation intensely at my side and trying to convey everything that was going on to Grace and Lily without getting caught. I feigned interest in the boy behind me and noticed that his best friend was doing the same for him as mine were doing for me, funny how this world works.

"Fancy running into you again so soon_ Teilor_," Sirius commented wistfully, rolling my name around in his mouth as he said it with a victorious smile, "Is this a dream? Because I've never seen anything so perfect in my life. First session on the first day back with a beautiful Ravenclaw like yourself."

"If you keep using lines like that, I'll be winning those ten galleons in no time," I responded with a wide smile before turning away from Sirius and facing the front of the class, Alexa trying desperately to stifle her giggling at my side as I saw her fist unclench as if she had just stopped herself from hitting something; this was an interesting development. I turned slightly to ask her what we were supposed to be doing with the stupid toad when I felt a sharp jab in my back again. I rolled my eyes and turned to face the two dark-haired boys behind me with a forced smile.

"Yes?" I asked, "Am I going to have to sit through a succession of lame pick-up lines or can I get to work?"

Sirius pretended to be hurt at my comment as he responded, "I'll have you know that my collection of pick-up lines are immense and impressive. I've picked up several times using them, for the record."

"And how many of those girls wanted to get in your pants before you tried to hit on them?" I asked, pausing for a minute to give him time to respond before smiling and continued, "Yeah, that's what I thought. Look, just do us both a favour and go back to hitting on your usual bimbos, I'm not interested."

I turned around again and asked Alexa what we were supposed to do with the toad, trying my hardest to ignore the ignorant Gryffindor boy sitting behind me as he proceeded to sit there poking me with what I assumed was his wand. I took some deep breaths as I listened to Alexa explain how we were supposed to be turning the toad into a teapot. She showed me the wand movement, stating the spell clearly and watching with some satisfaction as her toad turned into a white teapot with blue flowers around it. She scowled a little bit and it was then that I noticed the oddly bent spout on the teapot, patting her back kindly as she tried to fix her mistake, all the while Sirius was persistently poking me in the back, right between my shoulder blades.

Biting down a few choice curse words that rose to my lips as the arrogant teenager kept jabbing me in the back, I pointed my wand at the toad in front of me and waved it stating the spell clearly and watching as the toad in front of me morphed into a blue teapot with white flowers around the outside. I smiled slightly to myself remembering how terrible I'd been at transfiguration until Alexa had begun to show me the way the spells worked. There was something about seeing Alexa perform the spell that made it easier for me to figure out how to do it myself. I held my teapot up to Alexa victoriously and she smiled at it as she held up her now fixed teapot.

"Five points each girls," McGonagall said as she passed, glancing at our perfect teapots before moving onto the next table as I shared a small hug with my best friend before the poking between my shoulder blades became more insistent and I was forced to turn to Sirius with a dark smile on my face, turning my wand and muttering the first charm that came to my head.

"_Functus Quem_," I hissed before turning back to my teapot and smiling widely at Alexa. She looked at me in confusion and I held up a finger telling her to wait a moment before we heard a seat being pulled out behind us and a deep voice begin to sing a serenade to McGonagall who turned red in anger and demanded that Sirius return to his seat and quit his nonsense at once. Sirius however continued to follow McGonagall around the classroom, as if compelled to do so, before she cracked and dragged him out into the hallway and started to berate him verbally for his mischief. We heard the bell ring in between the Gryffindor Head of House's shouts and began to pack up our stuff slowly as she returned to the room and told us we were to practise the lesson's spell and write a foot long essay on the advantages of transfiguring animals.

I gathered my stuff as slowly as possible and left with Alexa, leaving our perfect teapots resting on our tables. We emerged into the hallway to see Sirius standing in wait with his foot tapping on the floor and his eyes narrowed vehemently. I smiled kindly at him as we moved to walk off down the hall when he stepped into my road, effectively cutting me off. I stepped back a few paces, Alexa remaining where she was.

"Is there a problem Black?" I asked and Sirius' eyes narrowed more as I stood waiting for a response before he scowled and pointed at his throat and I widened my eyes as if I hadn't noticed, "Oh, you want me to fix your voice! Why didn't you just say so?"

Sirius growled as I whipped my wand out and muttered the counter curse before charming a sticky sign onto his back quickly and admiring my excellent use of sticking charms. It wasn't permanent but the sign would be exceedingly difficult to remove if a person wasn't aware of the appropriate processes one was supposed to go through. Sirius tested out his voice quickly and grinned before flashing me his insanely cocky smile.

"If you didn't like me, you wouldn't have fixed it," He said as he moved closer and I clicked my fingers.

"Merlin, well now the secret's out I suppose," I sighed and looked up at him with a wide smile as he leaned in closer.

"Really?" He asked in a low voice before I moved around him with an appalled look on my face.

"Dear Merlin no," I responded throwing my hands in the air exasperatedly, "They said that Gryffindors were idiotic but I didn't think you'd buy that pile of dragon dung. Honestly Black, keep dreaming. You're never gonna win that easy."

I linked arms with Alexa and moved away down the hall, leaving the Gryffindor boy behind us. As we were about to turn the corner I released her arm and turned to face back taking a few steps closer to him as I called out, "Oh, and by the way, when you give up, I'll definitely collect on that bet."

"In your dreams Teilor!" Sirius called back as I rounded the corner and disappeared.

Alexa was waiting a few metres away from me and I linked arms with her again as we proceeded downstairs towards the school grounds and our next class. She looked at me with a grin as I tried not to burst with laughter at the thought of the other girls' faces when they saw the sign on his back. Almost as if she knew exactly what I was thinking Alexa sighed and smiled at me.

"So what did that sign say anyway?" She asked and I grinned sheepishly thinking of the appreciation Lily would have to give me if she ever saw it.

"'Gay with Potter'" I responded simply with a straight face as I struggled not to laugh. Alexa looked at me in shock before her face broke out into a grin as she swatted at my arm playfully.

"I can't believe you," she said trying to fight the grin on her face, "He'll try to get you back now."

"That was the plan," I replied with a laugh, "It's not like I was going to fall for him, but this way, if I keep annoying him with pranks and things, he might give up on me."

"Not likely," Alexa sighed and I smiled at her.

"I realise that but, my dear sweet Lexie, if he's too busy getting me back, how does he intend to win the bet of getting me to fall for him?" I asked matter-of-factly, "Trust me Lexie, by the end of the year he'll be too busy wanting to get revenge on me to actually bother with the bet any more."

"Smart,"Alexa said under her breath and I smiled.

"Well I am a Ravenclaw aren't I?"" I replied as we reached the Entrance Hall and marched over to the massive double doors that served as an entrance to the castle.

A group of Slytherins charged ahead of us and pushed the door open, letting in the sharp autumn air that stung my face as I stood waiting for them all to go through before following after them quickly and closing the doors. We followed the group ahead of us all the way to the Herbology greenhouse where Alexis stood with her arms crossed over her chest and her light-brown hair covered with a green and silver woollen beanie which was pulled right down over her ears. She rose a hand in greeting as we rushed over to her and waited for Professor Sprout to arrive.

"How was your first period?" I asked Alexis as she shivered a little in the cold.

"Incredibly boring," she responded with a roll of her eyes, "You try sitting next to Severus when Professor Flitwick is making a speech, I swear he tries to write everything down. Not to mention the fact that he often likes to pretend I'm not there. I know it's not like we're friends or anything and there is the fact that he does that to pretty much everyone except Lily so it's not as if I really mind that much, but common courtesy every once in a while would be nice."

"So true," I agreed as Sprout arrived and we were all shepherded into the greenhouse, "but then again we all know how he is to a degree so we can let it slide for Lily's sake."

"I think that letting it go works in his favour in getting along with Lily though so we're really doing him a favour," Alexis pointed out and I smiled.

"Unfortunately, I agree, but what else can we do?" I said.

Alexis sighed as a way of conceding while Alexa pulled out a few rolls of parchment, two quills and six bottles of ink before looking attentively to Sprout. I groaned as Alexis rolled her eyes and Sprout began her speech while Alexa took notes, being careful to try not to miss anything. I shared a look with Alexis and we both leaned backwards in our spots and began to whisper softly.

"How was your first period anyway? I hear you had it with the Gryffindors," Alexis asked and I smiled as I ran over the previous sessions events briefly in hushed tones. As I finished, Alexis put her hand over her mouth to stifle the giggles as she gave me a quick high-five and we turned to Professor Sprout who was explaining our next practical activity - involving large venomous plants that I would rather have nothing to do with - before allowing us to pack up. The class moved into separate groups when Sprout finished to have discussions in hushed tones whilst Alexis and I watched Alexa put her excess of ink back into her bag.

"Remind me why you need so much ink Lexie," I said as she placed the sixth inkwell back into her bag and looked up at us with her curls bouncing at the sudden movement. Her cheeks flushed as she mumbled something and looked away.

"Pardon? Didn't quite catch that."

"I might run out of ink," Alexa muttered a little louder and Alexis and I shared a look, working hard to fight the grins that threatened to take over our faces.

"Y'know what? I don't even care," I said, throwing my hands up in surrender as the bell rang overhead, "You'll be you and you can do what you want."

Alexa smiled as all three of us made the slow trek up to the Entrance Hall together, moving behind a particularly slow group of Slytherin students. We passed around them and made our way to the Entrance Hall at a significantly faster rate, entering into the warm castle to a sigh from Alexis as she felt the need to remove her beanie and put it in her bag whilst we moved into the Great Hall. We were making our way past the Slytherin table to the Ravenclaw table for lunch when a red-faced Gryffindor stormed up and cut off my path.

"Take it off," he growled and I frowned as Alexa and Alexis moved around us to get some food.

"I don't think I know you that well yet Black," I responded, "Besides this is a public place and that is entirely gross." I tried to step around him but he cut me off again with his arms crossed across his chest.

"The sign. On my back," Sirius growled turning to show me the sign I had magicked there when fixing his voice before turning around as my lips twitched at the corners and continuing, "The one you put there."

"Now I find that accusation insulting," I said pretending to be offended but cursing my still twitching lips that gave my amusement away, "I think you should be careful what you say next time you want to ask someone for help. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go eat my lunch. Go ask Lupin to fix it for you, I've heard he's pretty smart y'know."

Sirius turned to glare at me but I'd already pushed past him and was well on the way to catching up with my friends who were sitting halfway down the Ravenclaw table and watching my every move with cat-like grins. I stuck my tongue out at them and sat down on Alexa's other side as I reached for the chicken in front of me, taking long deep breaths to calm down. I looked up and noticed that Lily was making her way over to me with a massive grin on her face so I smiled and waved her over. She stood behind me and I turned to face her as she raised a questioning eyebrow, her lips twitching the way mine had only a few minutes ago.

"'Gay with Potter' eh?" was all she managed to say before she started to laugh hysterically and we heard a shout across the hall.

"What the hell do you mean you can't fix it Moony?"

I looked up to see Sirius yelling at the nicest Marauder before he looked up and spotted me across the hall. He made a beeline for me and I plastered my face with the brightest smile I could before he arrived. He looked down at me from a spot next to Lily - whose laughter had been renewed when she'd glanced at the sign again - and crossed his arms.

"Will you _please_ get this ridiculous sign off of me," he ground out and I smiled even wider.

"You trust I won't do anything else to you? That's so nice of you," I gushed as I got my wand out and mumbled the counter curse, laughing as he went over to the nearest person who wasn't my friend to have them verify I hadn't done anything new. As he returned I watched the dark smile grow on his face.

"You realise I'm going to have to repay that, right love?" Sirius asked as he appeared at my side.

"Wouldn't want anything less," I said with a smile, "And for the record, don't call me 'love'."

"Just don't regret it _love_," Sirius called over his shoulder as he walked back towards the Gryffindor table.

"In your dreams Black," I called to his retreating back before turning to my expectant friends, noticing that in the midst of everything else, Lily had wandered back to the Gryffindor table herself, and adding in a low voice, "Who's ready for some prank-based fun?"

"I can't believe your ploy actually worked," Alexa said with her eyebrows furrowed as she glanced at Sirius' back, "I can't believe he's neglected the bet in favour of a prank war."

"He hasn't abandoned the bet yet," Alexis pointed out as she finished her lunch, "He's simply getting revenge for being humiliated."

I tried to listen to Alexis but my eyes followed Sirius as he tried to rally the Marauders into action. A smile crept across my face and I shook my head as I turned back to my friends, a lightness in my stomach at the thought of the upcoming prank war. My mind was reeling with ideas and thoughts that I analysed individually as I tried to estimate my best method of attack. Any actions that the Marauders pulled would require adequate retaliation. I was ready for this war and I couldn't wait for anything that Sirius Black pulled out for me. Bring it on Sirius, bring it on.

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><p><strong>There's the end of the second chapter. Now that I've finished school I'll have more time to dedicate to this so it shouldn't be too long until the next few chapters are uploaded. I hope you've enjoyed this and if you want you can leave a review :)<strong>

**_Coming in Chapter Three:_**

_"Do I know you from somewhere?"_

_I had to catch myself quickly before my head jolted forward entirely and slammed against the table, before I turned to blatantly stare at Lupin as I heard Alexa sigh complacently. She turned a little bit in her seat and I swivelled around so I was facing away from them again as I strained my ears to hear her response._

_"You know the girl Sirius is currently trying to shack up with-" I heard her begin before she was cut off with a sharp intake of breath._

_"You're her?" Remus said quickly and I giggled, hearing Alexa do the same behind me._

_"No," she corrected and I could hear the laughter in her voice, "I'm her best friend."_

**Hope you're looking forward to the update. I know I am.**_  
><em>


	3. And So, It Begins

**I would like to thank everyone for the positive response I've received on this story so far. It means a lot. I would also like to personally thank my reviewers Lexie, Black Rose Weaslet and TWHATT18 for, y'know, reviewing. this chapter has been through so many re-writes it's not funny... anyway I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe or any of its occupants. I do however own:**

**Maree Teilor, 5th Year Ravenclaw  
><strong>**Alexa Piper, 5th Year Ravenclaw  
><strong>**Carla Mason, 5th Year Ravenclaw  
><strong>**Grace Penthea, 5th Year Gryffindor  
><strong>**and Alexis Trivic, 5th Year Slytherin**

**EDIT (7/01/2012): I'm sorry about this, but I hadn't edited this story much prior to the first upload so I went through and edited it more and it's definitely better than the first edit... Please read this again if you have the time because there are a few crucial pieces that have been changed and, as always, I hope you enjoy :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 - And So, It Begins...<strong>

In theory, the concept of starting a prank war with Sirius Black to draw his concentration away from our bet had been a marvellous idea. In practice, the idea was as ridiculous as the idea of Bellatrix Lestrange - the school's resident psychopath - prancing around in pink. It was a foolish notion to believe that I, an amateur in mischief-making, would be able to best a group of skilled trouble-makers; but try, I did anyway. It was only a few days succeeding my initial pranks that Sirius had launched a counter-attack and had doused me in a potion that turned my skin red. He'd spent the entirety of the twenty-four hours that the potion was in effect bothering me over how I must have a secret thing for Gryffindors that had compelled me to dye my skin the same shade of red as their house. My retaliation had come in the form of a handy charm that had caused several of the foods on the Gryffindor table to dive-bomb the Marauders for the entirety of both the lunch and dinner mealtimes until the professors had taken pity and reversed the spell. The game had soon been raised from simple miniature pranks to full-scale mischief that had resulted in several of the other school students being dragged into the fray against their better judgement.

The constant back-and-forth between the Marauders and I did not go unnoticed by the teaching staff of Hogwarts and by the end of the week I had discovered just how far my exemplary record, in both behaviour and academics, would allow for leeway in my misdoings. In a well-discussed incident in which I had doused the Marauders in melted chocolate two weeks in to term, I had received my first session of detentions in the prank war, a feat which could not be bested by several of the Marauders that had received detentions after the first day. It's my honest opinion that the real reason that I'm able to get away with as much as I do is because the teachers all, secretly, wanted to see the Marauders getting a taste of their own medicine - however dismal that taste was.

It hadn't taken long for me to rally support from various different sources around Hogwarts - including a haughty, hook-nosed Slytherin who had offered to brew any potions that I should require - much to some of my friends dismay. Whilst none of my supporters knew what had spurned the war, they were happy to assist in taking the Marauders off of their high horses and I was happy for any assistance. Whilst I had gained several outside supporters, only Alexis and Grace had actually joined in my quest from amongst my friends and that was mostly because they thought that this was a sublime opportunity to indulge in mischief. Alexa claimed she wanted to remain neutral in the matter and Lily said that I was sinking to their level - personally I agreed with her but, quite frankly, I was neither going to admit it or care.

Somehow, in between all of our plotting and pranking - and occasionally a detention or two - Sirius still, found the time to try to pick me up with his several different techniques. The most memorable of Sirius' various attempts at getting me to fall for him had been when he'd sat on top of Alexa's homework and tried to flirt with her to make me jealous. The results were probably what made the entire moment so memorable, I had found it hilarious to watch Alexa receive her first detention from hexing Sirius until he had needed the Hospital Wing, she had not been amused that she was banned from the library but had otherwise been remorseless. She hadn't spoken to me the entire week she was banned, mostly due to the fact that I wouldn't stop laughing at the horrified look on her face when Sirius had flirted with her.

When Alexa was finally allowed admittance to the library again she had taken refuge in amongst the bookshelves in order to finish the overwhelming pile of homework that had accumulated from her prolonged negligence. I had taken to joining her most days, sneaking in food that I would hide from the beady eyes of the vulture-like librarian – I became very skilled on that front in a matter of days - but other days I would wander the halls with Alexis and Grace as we plotted our next move on the Marauders.

After a quick lunch on the fourth week of school, Alexa dashed away to the library muttering about transfiguration homework and clutching her bag as if it held the answer to all of life's problems - it didn't by the way, I checked once. I sighed, excusing myself from an interesting conversation with Carla - who also disapproved of my recent prank war with the Marauders mostly due to her infatuation with my central target - and dashing out of the Great Hall to try to catch up with my curly-haired friend. She'd long since disappeared up the marble staircase so I was forced to race towards the library in order to ensure that she wasn't over-working herself as I had discovered she'd been doing.

I flung the doors to the library open as I reached them, pausing just inside their confines to catch my breath, and glanced over the library's main study space to try to find Alexa among the milling students. When I spotted her she was moving out from the bookshelves with a bunch of particularly thick volumes piled up in front of her. I sighed, moving across the library to intercept her when I noticed a sandy-haired Gryffindor grabbing some of the books from her pile, gesturing kindly to his table. My eyebrows pulled together as I watched Alexa sit at his table with a smile and I weaved through the other tables, taking a seat a few places away to do what any good friend would do in this situation; spy on their best friend.

Alexa pulled out a roll of parchment and unfurled it on the table, placing one of the books at the end of the parchment to make sure it didn't roll up again, before rifling through her bag to emerge with a quill and three bottles of ink. I sighed as she opened one of the bottles before turning her attention to the books laid in front of her. The sandy-haired boy had retreated to the other side of the table when she had sat down and now looked at the spines of the books.

"Is that 'Points and Patterns to Transfiguration'?" he asked as he pointed at the book Alexa was just opening. She nodded with a smile, running her finger down the page and tapping it at a spot before flipping through the book and allowing the book to rest with the desired page open. She picked up her quill and dipped it into the ink before jotting down notes on her parchment.

"That's the book I need too," the sandy-haired boy said amicably, "D'you mind if we share?"

"Not at all," Alexa responded, barely glancing up from what she was writing, "Just don't lose my page. It is vital for the homework McGonagall set."

The boy stood up to move to Alexa's side and I finally got a good glance at his face, inhaling sharply when I recognised the scarred face of Remus Lupin. He smiled as he sat down next to Alexa and glanced at the book starting when he realised that she was open to just the page he needed. He looked at Alexa carefully with a crease in his eyebrows. She glanced up for a moment in confusion before returning to her work.

"Is there something I can help you with, Mr Lupin?" She enquired good-naturedly. Remus blushed at being caught staring but continued to look at her curiously.

"Do I know you from somewhere?"

I had to catch myself quickly as my head jolted forward and nearly slammed against the table, before I began to blatantly stare at Lupin as I heard Alexa sigh complacently. She turned a little bit in her seat and I swivelled around to pretend I was talking to something so that Alexa wouldn't see me as I strained my ears to hear her response.

"You know the girl Sirius is currently trying to shack up with-" I heard her begin before she was cut off with a sharp intake of breath.

"You're her?" Remus said quickly and I giggled, hearing Alexa do the same behind me.

"No," she corrected and I could hear the laughter in her voice, "I'm her best friend."

I turned in my seat once more to see Alexa place her quill down and smile at Remus in a friendly manner, her eyes lighting up behind her square-framed glasses. He blushed in embarrassment and turned his attention to the parchment in front of himself, furiously noting a few more things down to cover up the redness in his cheeks. Alexa shook her head a little before returning to the work in front of her, a light-red blush creeping up her cheeks. I sighed a little before getting up from my seat and making my way towards my best friend and pulling up a seat opposite her.

"Hey Lexie," I greeted as I swung the seat around so that the back was facing the table before sitting down with a leg on either side of the back, "New friend?"

I bit down on the apple I had grabbed as I left the Great Hall before leaning my head on my left hand and smiling wickedly. Alexa blushed as she glared at me from behind her glasses. To Remus Lupin's credit, if he was startled by my unexpected appearance, he didn't show it. I smiled widely at him and offered my hand which he took.

"Maree Teilor," I said with a smile, the mischief never leaving my eyes as I followed up with, "Eavesdropping best friend and the one that your good friend Sirius is trying to - I believe the phrase Lexie used was - 'shack up with'."

"Remus Lupin, it's a pleasure," he introduced and my smile widened. Alexa sighed, and shook her head as I let go of Remus' hand and hid my apple from the passing librarian, taking another bite after she passed.

"Pleasure's all mine," I responded, glancing at the work the pair was doing, "Lexie, I thought you said you finished that two nights ago."

"Well I lied didn't I," Alexa mumbled as she continued with her essay, "The potions work was giving me trouble and you were already finished so I pretended like I was too."

"You could've told me," I said as I took another bite from my apple, stashing it away quickly as the librarian drew close, "I wouldn't've pretended to be finished then would I?"

Alexa looked up at me in horror and I sniggered quietly, nearly choking on my apple and drawing the attention of the hovering librarian. Remus watched me for a moment as if he was scrutinising me and I frowned, I didn't like it when people tried to analyse me. I turned to him, sizing him up the same as he was doing to me and nodded to myself, before returning my attention to Alexa.

"I like this one," I commented before taking a final bite of my apple and throwing it at the back of the librarian's head, "You can keep him so long as he promises not to look at me like that again."

I stood up, noticing the satisfactory blush rise on Alexa's cheeks as I threw my bag over my shoulder and walked out of the library with my robes billowing behind me, hearing the vulture-like librarian screeching about food in the library. I walked down the staircase, jumping the last few steps before the next landing, before trying to figure out what to do next. I considered my meagre options seriously: either I made my way straight to Muggle Studies and sat around for the ten minuted until everyone else arrived or I went and looked for something to do. Shrugging, I decided to head for Muggle Studies and leave my entertainment for later.

I slipped into the classroom, taking up my usual seat in the back before kicking up my feet and leaning back in my chair, assuming my usual pre-class position. I put my arms behind my head and closed my eyes, enjoying myself for a small moment of relaxation before the class started to surge in. I opened an eye to notice that Sirius Black had taken up his usual seat for the moment - the one next to mine - before closing it and going back to my pretend dozing. It was my small hope that if he thought I was asleep then, he wouldn't start with the pick-up lines; my plan was a failure.

"Did it hurt?"

"Did what hurt, Black?" I asked with an uninterested drawl, refusing to open my eyes and look at the boy in question lest he actually think I was interested in his response.

"When you fell out of heaven?" He continued, not a bit derailed by my tone.

"Taken up muggle pick-up lines as well, Black?" I enquired, my eyes opening as I leaned forward in my seat and put my feet down whilst the bell rang somewhere overhead, "Well, I suppose this _would_ be the class for it."

I pulled out some parchment, ink and a quill as the teacher walked in with a wide smile on her face round face and a pack of playing cards in her hands. I frowned at the odd woman as she flounced around the classroom in muggle clothes, neglecting the robes that nearly every witch or wizard usually wore, as she pulled out a card to demonstrate to the class that they did not, in fact, explode - I was as shocked as most people. My attention was drawn from the obscure professor by a tapping on the table. I glanced down to see a small sheet of parchment lying midway between me and Sirius. I glanced over his hasty scrawl and sighed as the question rang through my mind:

_Will you go to Hogsmeade with me?_

I thought for a moment before scribbling back my own response with a smirk:

_Depends,_ I wrote, _Have you stopped sleeping around?_

Sirius took one second to give me a small nod and I sighed, scrawling underneath my first message:

_Then why is that Ravenclaw girl in the front row looking at you so giddily?_

He blanched as he read my note and I smiled knowingly, glancing at my dorm-mate of the last five years to find that she was, in fact, staring giddily at the boy sharing my desk. A small part of me squealed in celebration at the accuracy of my bluff, but I merely sighed disinterestedly and absently noted some of the teacher's speech. Sirius frowned and took the piece of parchment.

_Maybe I wouldn't need to sleep around,_ he scrawled with his tongue between his teeth, _If you actually gave me a chance._

_Maybe I'd give you a chance, _I wrote back immediately afterwards, _If you didn't sleep around, Black. I'm a one-man kind of girl. I need a one-girl kind of guy. Sorry, you don't make the cut._

Sirius scrunched the parchment up between his fingers and scowled as I returned to my notes, glad that Alexa would be able to help me out with whatever I missed later - it was days where I was distracted like this that I was thankful that my best friend was a muggleborn. I glanced over at Sirius out of the corner of my eye, seeing his brows pulled together as if he were deep in thought. I frowned and returned to my notes as he began to scribble something down on his parchment. I ignored him, focusing on the work at hand, but curiosity caused me to glance at what he was writing and when I did I had to fight the urge to narrow my eyes and lean in closer to be able to actually read the teenage boy's messy scrawl. I scowled at Sirius' messy handwriting before staring at the parchment in front of me and doodling along the top of it.

I heard the bell ring from somewhere overhead and I sighed, dropping my quill and stretching out my arms behind my head before moving to pack all my stuff away in my school bag - making sure that the lid on my ink was securely closed before placing it in amongst my notes (previous accidents that Alexis and I had caused with Alexa's ink had led me to be meticulous in the care of my own). I zipped my bag closed and got up, closely followed by Sirius who hung at my side awkwardly.

"So, Teilor," he began suddenly as we made our way out of the classroom, "If I can prove that I'm a one-girl man, then you'll go out with me?"

"Why not?" I said with a laugh, "But I doubt you could last without a girl-"

Before I could finish my sentence, Sirius had run after the Ravenclaw girl that had been sitting in the front row, forcing me to jog to keep up with him.

"Penny," he called, grabbing her shoulder and whirling her around. She smiled wistfully up at Sirius and I sighed - the girl was too dazed to even notice that he'd called her Penny instead of Peggy.

"Yes, Siri-dear?" She asked in a breathless voice, her eyelids fluttering more than was normal. I groaned at the pet name as her friends giggled a little ways away, looking for all the world as if they were the one he was going out with.

"I'm sorry, but it's just not working out," he said with an almost convincing sigh and I saw tears rushing to Peggy's eyes as she ran away in the arms of her friends. He turned to me with a smile and held his arms wide as if he had accomplished a great feat. I looked at him in confusion, trying to figure out for myself why he looked so damn pleased with himself.

"I am now available!" He announced loudly, causing the girls who were walking in the passage behind him to turn his way, and I snickered, "Therefore, if I go out with you to Hogsmeade, I'll be a one-girl kind of guy."

"Bzzt," I buzzed as I rolled my eyes, finally understanding why he had seemed so pleased with himself, "Wrong answer. Ask me again in a few months if you're still single. Then we'll talk."

Walking past the astonished Gryffindor with a wide smile, I waved to Alexa as she descended from Ancient Runes and caught up with her as we headed towards the Great Hall for dinner. With Alexa caught up on her work, she was now able to sit and chat with me at dinner for as long as I liked, and that was just the way I liked it. I took a seat halfway down the Ravenclaw table, opposite Carla and her giggling 'Sirius Black fan club', and began to eat from one of the plates in front of me, smiling and laughing with Alexa and Carla - she was great mealtime company when the topic wasn't her dark-haired infatuation - when a sudden hush filled the hall.

I turned in my seat to see what all the commotion was about to find Sirius Black standing on top of the Gryffindor table and staring me right in the eyes. He threw his hands up dramatically and I scowled as a single thought ran through my head, "_Oh, dear Merlin._"

"Maree Teilor! Will you _please_ go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?" He yelled at the top of his lungs, causing any noise that was left in the hall to die down. McGonagall was on her way to get up from the teacher's table and Sirius showed no signs of moving until I had dignified him with a response. I turned back to Carla who was staring at Sirius with dreamy eyes before getting Alexa to help me onto the top of the table so that I was opposite the pretentious Gryffindor. He seemed to watch me in shock for a moment as I smoothed down my uniform and smiled over at him before raising my voice so that it could be heard throughout the entire hall.

"If this is your latest idea at winning me over I told you to _go to hell,_" I responded, not dropping my pleasant smile for a single moment, "I _refuse_ to go to Hogsmeade with someone whose head is shoved so far up their arse that they can't possibly consider that a girl wouldn't be interested in a man-slut that shags anything that remains still long enough. It's no wonder Pettigrew looks scared all the time! You've probably tried to shag him when he remained still too! You know what I expect of you Black. Two months, then – and only then – will we talk."

With my piece said I stepped down from the Ravenclaw table to a spattering of surprised laughter, applause and murmurings. I fixed my uniform again, waved to the shocked Gryffindor, and made my way from the Great Hall, the applause rising at the Slytherin table as what I had said sank in and the laughter brewing in more students. I sighed tiredly as the Hall disappeared behind me and I rose through the school barely noticing that I had been followed until I heard the light footsteps that had fallen in step with my own. I looked over my shoulder and caught sight of Alexa, her eyes fixed forward and shining behind her glasses.

"Nice speech," she said lightly, her mouth twitching at the corners, "I don't think he'll get over the shock for a few days. You'll definitely get in trouble for that one, but I think you may have earned favour with the Slytherins."

"He'll never let it rest will he?" I enquired, trying to ignore the second part of her statement – carrying favour with the Slytherins was not exactly one of my goals – as we turned towards Ravenclaw Tower, "I'm just one girl. It's not like he doesn't already have dozens fawning over his every move."

Alexa shrugged, tapping the eagle door knocker and answering the riddle presented with a practised ease before entering the empty common room and sitting by the fire. I took the armchair next to her and sighed, staring into the flames in deep thought. I started when she coughed a little at my side and turned in her direction to see her smiling at the fire. I turned back towards the flames and sighed again, earning a chuckle from Alexa over my self-pity.

"He's changed a little y'know," Alexa pointed out and I turned to her again with a small, disbelieving frown on my face. She laughed at the look I shot her and I arched an eyebrow in silent question.

"I really don't think he has," I argued, lying across the armchair so that my feet were hanging near the fire, never taking my eyes from my best friend. Alexa rolled her eyes.

"Well of course you wouldn't," she replied, "You wouldn't want to think so if he had."

"Alright then, Little Miss Brainy-pants," I snapped in frustration, "How d'you figure he's changed?"

Alexa giggled a little at my rude tone, raising a hand to cover her mouth when she almost started to curl up in laughter. My frown deepened as I watched my best friend, considering signing her into St Mungo's. She shook her head as she tried to regain her composure, succeeding in the task a small bit before looking me straight in the eyes.

"He said 'please' when he asked you out at dinner," Alexa pointed out, "He's never once said 'please' when asking you out, or anyone else for that matter. He said 'please' to you, in public."

"That's just because I'm special," I replied with a cocky twitch of my lips. Alexa giggled again and I started to laugh.

Both of us sat there laughing for a long time until the other students started to pile into the common room and shoot us odd stares. Some of them stopped to consider me for a small moment before disappearing up the stairs to their dormitories or moving to different corners of the common room. After I had calmed down a considerable amount a few of the Ravenclaws approached with a small word of congratulations of my treatment of Sirius at dinner – some of them had become my assistants in mischief over the last few weeks - and I nodded politely to each of them in turn as a lot of the older girls shot me rude glares.

I sighed at my treatment; after all, it wasn't as if I had taken this year with the aim of becoming target to the school's greatest man-whore. I had initially planned to take this year seriously so that I could achieve the best possible OWLs available. All of that planning had flown out the window after my fateful encounter with Sirius and now I was on a whirlwind path to one of the most eventful years I had experienced within the walls of Hogwarts. I knew Alexa was watching me as I grinned weirdly into the fire, but I couldn't help but realise that the change in my day-to-day activities had all started with a stupid bet with an arrogant Gryffindor that I, in some way, had managed to begin to illicit a change in as well.

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><p><strong>Again, hope you enjoyed reading. Drop a review if you have the time or inclination! I'd love to hear from you! (Also if you spot any mistakes, let me know! I'll be more than happy to fix them up)<strong>


	4. Hogsmeade Adventures

**Thank you to my two reviewers Lexie and sonofafluffymuffin. I'm glad to hear - read - that you like my story. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Sorry that I don't update at a regular interval, and that I usually take far longer than necessary, but I really do have trouble with ideas sometimes and I also have trouble getting myself to just sit down and write. Sorry about that. But thanks for reading anyway, despite all my horrible traits as an author.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe or any of its occupants. I do however own:**

**Maree Teilor, 5th Year Ravenclaw  
><strong>**Alexa Piper, 5th Year Ravenclaw  
><strong>**Carla Mason, 5th Year Ravenclaw  
><strong>**Grace Penthea, 5th Year Gryffindor  
><strong>**and Alexis Trivic, 5th Year Slytherin**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4 – Hogsmeade Adventures<strong>

The forest was filled with a dense silence, interrupted only by the slight whistling as wind ripped through the limbs of the trees. As the limbs were moved by the wind they would knock into the neighbouring trees as they tried to move freely in their constricted domain. I moved through the forest slowly, not even breaking the silence as I attempted to crunch leaves and twigs under foot. The canopies were pressed so closely together that it was a miracle that I didn't stumble in the darkness as I followed the small light that was leading the way.

The trees parted into a clearing, across which a shrouded figure stood, their coat remaining unnaturally still in the wind. I hesitated at the edge of the clearing and stopped, watching the figure closely as my fringe tried to whip into my eyes and obscure my view. I brushed the brown locks away in impatience as the figure began to move across the distance. I watched his approach as my name seemed to whistle through the wind and the world began to shake. A part of me yearned to know who the figure was and I took a step towards them, noticing the halt in their own movements when I made mine. I frowned and stopped again as the shaking grew more intense, causing trees to drop away and the world to tilt dangerously. Disregarding all caution I ran across the distance, the ground falling away beneath me, until I was a single metre from the figure. The ground beneath my feet dropped away sharply and I was forced away from the shrouded figure as a scream ripped from my lips. The figures hood dropped a little and I caught a glimpse of grey eyes.

"Maree!" A voice croaked over my head as I broke from the dream entirely, "Maree, wake up!"

Mumbling under my breath, I reached to pull my covers over my head as the last remaining vestiges of sleep slipped away. When my hands failed to find purchase on any covers I frowned and peered through nearly closed lids to find a face hovering mere centimetres over my own. I shot up wards in shock, my eyes flying wide as my head connected with a solid force and I was forced back into my pillows to cradle my head in pain. A groan sounded to my left and I blinked through bleary eyes to catch a glimpse of the person who'd been hovering over my bed standing at my bedside with their own head pressed into her palms.

"Merlin, Lexie!" I cried out as the throbbing dulled and I could sit up again, "What'd you do that for?"

"I should be asking you that!" Alexa cried out, her voice sounding raw and hoarse, "Why would you sit up so suddenly?"

At the sound of Alexa's voice I was out of bed in an instant, placing my hand to the forehead I had just whacked. I yelped at the temperature and withdrew my hand quickly, looking into my best friend's blue eyes as she tried her best to avoid my gaze, stifling a cough pitifully with the back of her hand. She staggered a little bit and I forced her back into her bed, fussing around her as she tried her best to get to her feet again.

"I was just waking you so we wouldn't be late for Hogsmeade," Alexa grumbled as she tried to force her way past me, "Stop mothering me or we'll both be late."

"You're not going," I stated simply, drawing the hangings around her bed as if that ended the argument, "No doubt you've been pushing your allergies again and now you have a cold. I refuse to let you go to Hogsmeade if you're sick."

"But I'm not going to make you go alone," Alexa said as she drew back her hangings and poked her head out to argue. I pushed her head back inside with a frown and drew the hangings closed again before moving to my trunk.

"Nonsense," I replied briskly, pulling out the pepper-up potion I kept stashed away for such occasions, "You're sick, you should stay in bed and rest. I'll only go for the things we need and I'll be back by lunch, that way it won't matter if I'm alone or not. Rest until I get back okay?"

"Maree…"

"Alexa Madeline Piper," I said sharply as I leaned in between the hangings on her bed, "I am going to Hogsmeade without you, and you are going to be a good sick-child and rest. Am I making myself clear?"

"If you were any clearer you'd be invisible," Alexa grumbled, sinking back into her pillows as she fought another cough. I handed her the potion and decided to leave the hangings open so that I could make sure that she was actually drinking the potion and not fiddling for one of the empty vials she kept on hand for such occasions. Whilst Alexa was normally a very agreeable person she had a severe loathing of all forms of medicine.

Alexa scowled at where I stood watch as she pinched the bridge of her nose and tossed the potion down her throat, swallowing quickly in an attempt to avoid tasting the foul mixture. She coughed a little as the potion slid down her throat and returned the now-empty vial to me, covering her face with her blanket to smother her renewed coughs. I smiled victoriously and placed the empty vial back into my trunk, pulling out my clothes for the day and my small, blue money pouch. Behind me there was a rustling of blankets as Alexa, presumably, settled down to sleep again. I glanced over my shoulder at my curly-haired friend before disappearing into the dormitory bathroom and getting changed.

In only a few moments I emerged to find Alexa dozing on her pillows with a sheet of parchment clutched loosely in her uncovered hand. I sighed and took the piece of parchment, moving her hand so that it was under her covers and drew the hangings around her bed shut. Turning on my heel, I paused at my trunk to pocket my money pouch before tiptoeing out of the dormitory and near-silently closing the door. Looking around carefully, in case there was any potential that someone might trample me in my travels, I made my descent through the school at a lethargic pace as I tried to stretch out my tired limbs in the most inconspicuous manner possible – not that it really mattered as the hallways were deserted. The trip from Ravenclaw Tower to the Great Hall seemed to take longer than usual, but eventually I entered the large dining hall and sat in amongst the sparse occupants at the Ravenclaw table.

The parchment Alexa had been holding crinkled in my hand and I glanced down, deciding to read over it as I sipped at some pumpkin juice. Her hasty scrawl outlined the various items that she wanted me to buy on my travels in Hogsmeade with a little extra note that she'd pay me back for it all later. I folded the parchment up with a sigh and pocketed it next to my small purse before chewing on a piece of toast absently as the rest of the students disappeared from the hall. Grabbing another piece of toast I stood from my place and left the Great Hall, heading in the direction of the front door and the trail that led from the school's vast grounds to the neighbouring town.

It was a slow walk from Hogwarts to the small wizarding village and a part of me cursed that I hadn't grabbed a thicker jacket. With winter only a couple of months away the weather was on the verge of cooling down significantly and it was my own stupid fault that I hadn't picked clothing to compensate for the drop in temperature. I pulled my coat tighter around myself in a futile fight against the biting wind as I arrived between the small houses and shopfronts of the village. Students milled in between the shops and I noticed a few people I knew giving them a small wave in passing. A few of the older girls that were milling around stopped to glare at my approaching form and I smiled brightly at them; it was obvious that they were angry because of my damning comments against their favourite Marauder, before moving in amongst the shops myself to get what Alexa wanted.

After a quick referral to Alexa's list, I decided to start at the furthest shops away and work my way back towards Hogwarts so that I could leave as soon as I finished and return to my best friend. As per Alexa's request, I dropped into Scrivenshaft's to pick up her replacement ink, grabbing a pretty eagle-feather quill for myself. The array of quills and ink in the shop was a sight to behold and it took me a lot longer than I would have thought to drag myself from the various arrays of products and approach the counter to pay for my choices. The shopkeeper smiled at my look of awe as I paid him and moved to leave the shop, bracing myself against the cold wind before stepping outside again and walking back down the street.

My coat flapped in an unexpected breeze and I paused only a metre away from Zonko's to try and get my coat in order again when a burly sixth-year Gryffindor approached me. He had shaggy, dark-brown hair that fell into a pair of blue eyes which he flicked away and smiled widely. I nodded politely and went to move around the boy only to have him side-step and cut me off.

"Can I help you?" I enquired politely, "I'm in a bit of a hurry."

"You're Maree Teilor, right?" The boy asked taking a step towards me as I stumbled a half-step back, "The one that turned down Sirius Black?"

"That would be correct," I confirmed, trying again to side-step the boy and being blocked again, "Is there anything you want?"

"Since you don't want anything to do with Black," the boy said with a slight drawl, "I thought maybe we could hang out. Get to know each other better, maybe get lunch together at the Three Broomsticks..."

"I'm sorry but I don't even know who you are," I said as politely as I could manage, looking up into the boy's blue eyes, "So if you wouldn't mind moving, I would like to get back to my shopping."

"Come on now," he insisted, taking a step closer towards me, "Don't be like that. I just want to take a pretty girl out to lunch."

"I'm sorry, but I pass on that offer," I responded scathingly as I took a step back from him, "Now if you don't mind-"

My statement was cut off as the boy grabbed my wrist and leaned in closer to me, looking me sharply in the eyes. I squirmed in his grasp, trying to pull my wrist away from the insistent Gryffindor when another boy came up behind me and grabbed my shoulders, pushing the first boy away and taking a step back with me in tow.

"Sod off Johnson," the boy said darkly as he pulled me closer to him, "Can't you tell she's not interested? If she wasn't interested in a guy like Sirius Black what makes you think she'll be interested in you? With your looks you don't stand a chance."

I opened my mouth to correct my rescuer's misconception that I was after a good-looking boy when I was whirled to face my saviour. I looked up to see the boy's face only to find myself staring into the hazel eyes of a Hufflepuff boy I didn't know either. I tried to pull away from his grip as he pulled me closer to him still, holding me close and hurling abuse at the boy behind me as other boys began to crowd around.

"If she's not interested in me, what makes you think she'll be interested in you Blake?" The first boy jeered.

"Because I'm better than both you and Black," he responded simply, "And if she doesn't want you or Black surely she'll definitely go for a guy like me."

"Get off me!" I shrieked, trying to pull myself from the arrogant Hufflepuff's grip, "I'm not interested in any of you! Leave me alone!"

"I just saved from that guy," the hulking Hufflepuff insisted with a smirk, leaning his head down towards mine, "Surely the least you could do is give me a 'thank you' kiss."

I squirmed in his grip as he puckered his lips and leaned in closer, shortening the gap so that there were only centimetres between our lips. I pushed at the boy's chest, trying to pry myself from his clinging arms, but only able to draw an arm free from his restrictive grasp. I closed my eyes and swang, hearing the slap as much as I felt the stinging in my hand.

"Get off of me!" I screeched trying to pull out of his loosened grip.

"Arrogant, little-"

"Maree, is that you?" A familiar voice called from over the crowd. I tried to pull away from the Hufflepuff's grip to see who had spoken but the Hufflepuff had assumed a tighter grip on my wrists than the one he had taken on my shoulders. I closed my eyes and angled myself away from the boy when I felt the grip on my wrists disappear and my shoulders being taken by another boy.

"Sod off! All of you! Just because she turned down Sirius Black does _not _mean she's going to be interested in you lot! Don't make me give you detention! Walk away now, while I'm still giving the option."

Cracking an eyelid, I looked up to find a sandy-haired boy holding onto my shoulders and glaring at the loitering boys. I sighed in relief as the rest of the boys dissipated before moving from the newcomer's grip and picking up the Scrivenshaft's bag that had dropped in the scuffle. I glanced inside to ensure that nothing had broken before looking over my shoulder into the amber eyes of my saviour. He placed hands on either of my shoulders before looking over me worriedly and drawing away with a long exhale.

"Why on earth are you wondering alone?" He asked shakily as he ran a hand through his hair, "Surely you would've realised that turning down Sirius so publicly would have made you a target for all the boys that want to prove that they're superior to him."

"To be honest, the thought hadn't even occurred to me," I replied with a small shrug, "And it's not like I planned to come to Hogsmeade alone. It just sort of happened when I found out Alexa was sick this morning."

The boy over me sighed again and rubbed his forehead, closing his eyes as he fought to calm his breathing. After a moment he opened his eyes and looked down at me with a bemused smile, the scars on his face stretching as his lips curved.

"Thanks for that Remus," I said quietly, "I appreciate it."

"No problem," Remus responded with a small smile as the unease lifted from his shoulders, "Just don't go wondering around on your own at the moment."

"Well, I'm kind of stuck on that front," I admitted with a small shrug, "But it's no big deal, I'll just remember to draw my wand next time so that I'm not totally defenceless. I'll be fine, so you can go back to the other Marauders now."

I smiled at Remus reassuringly and turned around to walk the few steps towards Zonko's when I heard a set of footsteps behind me. I shrugged a little and pushed the shop door open a small gap so that I could squeeze inside when I noticed another hand holding the door open significantly wider than I had. I looked up and noticed that Remus was the one holding the door and my eyebrows drew together a bit in confusion, I'd assumed that the footsteps had been him walking away.

"Shouldn't you head back to your friends?" I asked as I stepped in out of the slight wind.

"To be honest, I lost them as soon as we got here," Remus replied with a shrug, "So, if you don't mind that is, I might just hang out with you for now. It's better than wandering by myself in any case."

I smiled at the unspoken offer and shrugged a little before I turned to scour the shelves for the idealistic supplies for my latest prank idea. I looked through the potions and smiled as I came across the exact concoction that I had been looking for and took several vials off of the shelf - Severus would no doubt be furious that I was going to buy the potion when I could have asked him and included him in the glory of the entire operation but I wanted to perform this task on my own. I turned around to see Remus standing a few metres away with his eyebrows raised and a slight smile on his face. My smile dropped a little as I considered the Marauder that was watching me in evident bemusement and wondered idly if he would rat me out to his friends.

"Babbling Potion," he said with a smirk, "Great to get your victim repeating a certain phrase for a certain amount of time. I wonder who those are for."

I flushed a little, returning one of the vials to the shelf, before I moved towards the counter with Remus chuckling as he followed along in my wake. I paid for the three small vials and placed them in the Scrivenshaft's bag before turning to leave the shop. Remus held the door for me as I went outside again and proceeded to move through the various shops, stopping only momentarily between each shop to consult the list that Alexa had given me, and collecting the various items that she required – even grabbing some of the things I knew she didn't list due to their cost. Remus tailed me with a small smile the entire time, opening doors and joining in small conversations with me from time to time.

As I consulted Alexa's list a final time and ticked the last item I turned towards my final destination for my shopping trip. Remus raised an eyebrow in amusement as he saw me approach the shop and I felt the heat rising in my cheeks as I pushed the door open for him and followed him into the bustling confectionary store.

"Honeydukes," Remus stated with a grin, "I never would have picked Alexa as a confectionary lover."

"She's not that much of one," I admitted with a small blush as I wove towards the chocolate section and pulled a few different blocks off of the shelf, "I, however, am a severe sweet tooth."

"What a coincidence," Remus said as he reached over my shoulder and grabbed a few blocks for himself, "So am I."

Remus smiled down at me good-naturedly as he collected his blocks in one hand and turned away from the shelf. I smiled at his back as he disappeared among some of the shelves before I made my way towards a different aisle in search of sugar quills. I placed a large box of the confectionary for Alexa on top of my own large pile of chocolate – Alexa would furiously deny that she liked sugar quills more than her muggle lollies – before lining up to buy my purchases with Remus standing right behind me. I glanced at his small pile of chocolate and found myself silently comparing it to my own before sighing and holding my hand out. He looked at my hand in confusion and I gestured towards his chocolate, holding my hand out again.

"I'll pay for your chocolate Remus," I stated as we moved up the line.

"I couldn't ask you to do something like that," he responded with his eyes wide.

"You helped me out with those boys and spent the morning hanging out with me, it's the least I could do," I retorted, taking a step backwards as the line moved with my hand out.

"It's not necessary," Remus replied, "Surely you're running low on money by now, what with all those purchases. Besides, this chocolate is expensive."

"I can afford it," I replied with an easy-going smile, "So, don't worry about it."

We'd approached the counter and I laid my purchases before the man before whipping around and seizing the chocolate from Remus' hands and placing it with my stuff. The shopkeeper began to tally up the cost with a smile before placing it all in a bag, separating Remus' chocolate from my own. I placed a few galleons on the counter and turned, pushing the bag of chocolate into Remus' hands and leaving the shop before he could protest.

"That wasn't necessary," Remus said as he caught up to me, "I could have paid for it."

"I insisted. Never turn down a gift from a rich pureblood Remus, it tends to make them mad," I retorted as I moved to leave the village behind me.

"At least let me buy you a butterbeer then," Remus insisted, "That chocolate was really expensive, definitely worth more than what I did for you."

The wind whipped my coat around as I sighed and nodded in concession before following Remus back into Hogsmeade in the direction of Three Broomsticks. He held the door for me as I entered the warm bar and let him follow as he closed the door neatly and marched towards the young barmaid, a recently graduated girl by the name of Rosmerta, to order two butterbeers. He took them from her with a murmured thanks and turned on his heel, leaving me to trail behind him to a table at the back of the pub. I set my bags on the ground before taking the bottle offered to me by Remus and opening it to take a small sip. I revelled in the warmth supplied by the drink and smiled kindly at Remus.

"I have to head back after this," I said, taking another sip of the drink, "But thanks for helping me this morning."

"It was only a Gryffindor's duty to help a damsel in distress," Remus responded with a mock bow that nearly knocked his own butterbeer over. I giggled into my own drink as Remus tried to right the table with a small flush in his cheeks.

We sat in silence for a while as Remus sipped from his drink with the heat rising in his cheeks. I smiled, realising how he was quite similar to my best friend. They were stubborn, studious and a lot more fun than their appearances would lead you to believe. I wanted to tell Remus that, but decided against it at the last moment and instead took to sipping my drink in silence.

"How is she?" Remus asked suddenly and I looked up in shock, nearly snorting my drink.

"Alexa?" I asked between coughs and he nodded, "She's fine. She only had a cold from pushing her allergies again. She'll be alright when I get back."

I downed the last of my drink quickly and placed the empty bottle on the table as Remus did the same. We both rose together before I bent over to pick up my shopping only to find Remus picking up some of my bags. Smiling gratefully at the Gryffindor, we both straightened and made our way to the front of the bar. I paused at the counter and bought another butterbeer, to Remus' complete confusion, before leaving the bar behind and heading out into the cold air to trudge towards Hogwarts.

The trip seemed to pass a lot quicker than it had the first time as I tried to joke with Remus on the way up the incline towards the school gates, laughing and walking backwards for most of the way. I took a deep breath as we passed between the winged boars, looking around the vast grounds in delight before turning and walking in step with Remus the rest of the way up the incline. When we reached the front steps of the school I jogged inside and veered right, heading towards the Great Hall.

"Shouldn't we be headed for Ravenclaw Tower?" Remus asked as he caught up to me, his brows furrowed together.

"If I know Alexa as well as I think I do," I replied with a grin, "That would be more than a little pointless."

I entered the Great Hall ahead of Remus and made a beeline for the curly-haired girl sitting halfway down the Ravenclaw table and chewing on some bread. She looked up and smiled, waving me over with her free hand. I grabbed Remus' arm and towed him along towards my best friend.

"Look Lexie, I picked up a stray while I was wondering in Hogsmeade," I said, letting go of Remus as I sank into the seat opposite her and dumped the butterbeer on the table. She took it with a smile and unscrewed the lid.

"How much did it all cost?" Alexa asked as she replaced the bottle on the table, "I'll pay you back when we get up to the dorms."

"How 'bout, instead of that, you shout me lunch on the next Hogsmeade weekend?" I replied, grabbing some of the vegetables from the middle of the table.

"I couldn't possibly-"

"You can and will," I interrupted before chewing absently on a carrot. I looked over my shoulder and noticed that Remus was just standing there awkwardly, unsure of what to do. I gestured for him to sit down with a wide grin.

"Come on Remus," I said good-naturedly as he still looked at me in confusion, "I don't bite – despite the rumours - as you may have noticed. As my newest friend you are welcome to sit here whenever you like, provided you don't mind the death glares of some of the more – uh – conservative Ravenclaws."

Remus' lips stretched into a smile as he took the seat next to mine, placing the remaining bags on the centre of the table. For the moment, sitting with two people who were friendly and talking the time away, made me think of how I used to spend my time before this year. I sighed contentedly at the thought of having spent one day in the familiar comfort that I used to have as my life, because I never knew when it might all come crashing down.

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><p><strong>Well anyway, thanks for reading chapter 4. I hope you liked it. I really do hope you'll leave me a review if you read it. You can't just rely on Lexie to give the reviews for you. I want YOUR opinions on my story too. Stay tuned for Chapter 5.<strong>


	5. Not So Typical Sunday

**Thanks for all the reviews for the last chapter! I've had this chapter half-finished for about a week and only just worked up the effort to finish it... while I'm supposed to be cleaning my room no less... whoops. Anyway, a particular thank you to Lexie (as always), justbornawesome, katchile94, Captain Moonshoes and Andy for reviewing the last chapter. To those who may care, I got into my first preference for university and will be starting a Bachelor of Science in a little over a month which means, until I get settled into that, the chapter updates may end up getting sparse... sorry about that... but I refuse to give up on this story. I've been writing variations of it for the last three years and I have a good feeling this time.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe or any of its occupants. I do however own:**

**Maree Teilor, 5th Year Ravenclaw  
><strong>**Alexa Piper, 5th Year Ravenclaw  
><strong>**Carla Mason, 5th Year Ravenclaw  
><strong>**Grace Penthea, 5th Year Gryffindor  
><strong>**and Alexis Trivic, 5th Year Slytherin**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5 – Not So Typical Sunday<strong>

A long yawn passed through my lips as I descended from Ravenclaw Tower early the next morning. I'd woken up much earlier than I'd expected and had failed in being able to rouse my best friend – she was really good with hexes when you put her in a foul mood – so I found myself, once again, on my own in the school. A few of the younger, more excitable Ravenclaws brushed me aside as they ran in the same direction as I was headed, the way that lead towards the school's sustenance department, and I stumbled the last few steps to find myself being grabbed up into someone's arms.

"Afternoon," the person greeted in a quiet baritone, a chuckle barely concealed in his greeting. I glanced up into the amber eyes of Remus Lupin with a small frown.

"Don't even try that on me," I grumbled as I stood up properly and fixed my robes, "I still have another good hour until the afternoon thank you very much." Remus laughed at my disgruntled tone as I continued on my way to the Great Hall.

"So what brings you to Ravenclaw central this fine _morning_?" I asked, accentuating the word morning to prove my point. Remus chuckled again.

"I thought I'd join you again," Remus replied with a shrug, "Make sure you didn't manage to get yourself attacked by your male admirers."

"My hero," I grumbled sarcastically before looking up at the Gryffindor with my eyebrows drawn together, "Shouldn't you be with the Marauders though? I'm sure they're going to notice your absence if you continue to spend time with me."

It was Remus' turn to look over at me with his eyebrows drawn together, a frown plastered on his scarred features. He tucked his hands into his pockets casually as we turned the corner and began to walk down the moving staircase. He stared off at the paintings and floor, anywhere but in my direction before sighing.

"I take it you missed the spectacle in the Entrance Hall last night then," Remus mumbled.

"Yeah, it was after I'd left to finish off some charms homework. Carla mentioned it when she returned but I was really paying attention," I said with a small shrug, "Why?"

"Well it appears that Sirius thought –" Remus began to explain as we paused on the first floor landing.

"Sirius _thinking_?" I interrupted quickly throwing a hand over my wide mouth and widening my eyes, "Now that _is_ a dilemma."

"Well, anyway, Sirius thought that I had broken the Marauder code," Remus continued, trying not to laugh at my comment, "And he was a little less than impressed."

"You guys have a Marauder code?" I asked curiously whilst Remus nodded his head in affirmation, "Well, did you break this code?"

"No," Remus responded with his eyes set.

"Then just explain it and –"

"I tried. He wouldn't have it."

"Well, what does he think you did that was so bad anyway?"

Remus looked away again and muttered something that I was unable to hear and I frowned. I cupped a hand over my ear playfully and leaned towards the Gryffindor boy with a grin.

"I'm sorry, didn't quite catch that."

"I, allegedly, went after his girl," Remus mumbled just barely loud enough for me to hear. I stopped grinning, blinking a few times before standing directly in front of Remus and planting my hands on my hips.

"_Excuse me_," I said darkly, a cold tone blossoming in my voice, "_What_ did you do?"

"I made a move on the girl that Sirius is after," Remus muttered, looking everywhere but at me. I scowled before turning on my heel and descending the final staircase into the Entrance Hall, walking directly through the throngs of students towards the Great Hall.

Pushing a few younger students out of the way, I took a seat at the end of the Ravenclaw table before stabbing various food items with my fork and glaring at anyone idiotic enough to venture close enough.

"Dare I guess the source of your rage?" Alexis enquired as she took the seat opposite mine and glanced at the Gryffindor table to be sure that I was, in fact, glaring daggers at the person she thought I was, "Ah, figures. What with your date with the young Remus Lupin yesterday and all. Did you get the supplies yesterday or shall I make enquiries to a certain brooding member of our year?"

"I was not on a date with Remus," I growled as I stabbed another piece of food, "He helped me out when a bunch of the boys tried to attack me."

"Well, I'm just saying what it looked like from me and Grace's point of view," Alex conceded with a shrug, "And you still haven't answered my question."

I blinked a few times as I looked at my Slytherin friend in confusion before realisation struck me and a grin spread across my face. Reaching into my pocket I withdrew the three vials I had purchased the day before and flashed them to Alexis, causing her to grin wickedly. She turned in her seat and found the final member of our crew sitting with a few of the other Gryffindor females before getting up and dashing across the hall. I watched her grab Grace's attention, making the girl turn towards me with a wide grin as her long, brown ponytail flicked her neighbour in the face. Alexis returned with our beaming friend in tow and sat across the table from us.

"Okay," I said, leaning in conspiratorially, "First, we need a distraction, then we can quickly dump the potion in the boys' goblets and set the magic at work."

"Distractions just so happen to be my area of expertise," Alexis said wickedly, "You two go be ready with the potions; I'm going to rustle up some Marauder attention."

Alexis ducked away from the table, an idea at work in her brain as she slipped seamlessly into the crowd. I got up slowly, linking arms with Grace and heading over to the Gryffindor table in a ruse that would look like I was just over to have a chat with some of my friends. I glanced over my shoulder for a moment and noticed Remus stepping into the Great Hall anxiously and looking around.

Suddenly a piece of food flew from one of the tables and hit Regulus Black square in the face. I tried to find a sign of the source, but the food had seemingly appeared from nowhere to smack the unsuspecting boy in the face. The boy looked up in disgust to see another glob of food heading in his direction from the opposite end of the hall on a direct collision course with his face. As he wiped the muck from his eyes, his sight fell on the only person across the room from himself who could've done it, and I smirked as he whipped out his wand to fling food in the direction of his older brother.

Sirius looked up indignant as the food squelched into his black locks whilst James fought a losing battle to hold in the raucous laughter that appeared to be bubbling in his throat – it was quite an amusing sight to behold. Sirius turned to his best friend and threw a plate of food in his direction only to watch him duck out of the way with his quidditch reflexes and have the food hit the girl sitting on his other side instead. I took the opportunity to do what no other crazy idiot had found the nerve to do in a long time and stood on one of the benches with my hands cupped around my mouth.

"Food fight!" I hollered to the watching hall, and all hell broke loose.

Food flew from all directions as the few sane-minded people in the hall either ducked under the table for cover or ran for the door. I jumped down from the table and grinned widely at Grace, linking arms with her and leading her towards the Marauders' section of the table where the boys had set up a full-fledged assault across the hall at the Slytherins. I ducked behind their shielding and watched the head table as McGonagall sat fuming in her seat next to a mildly bemused Dumbledore. They watched the action for a few moments before McGonagall got up from her seat and held her wand to her throat.

I nodded to Grace and we slipped the potion into the Marauders' drinks before slipping away silently as McGonagall leaned over the table.

"_Enough!_" She shouted for the entire hall to hear. All action stopped immediately as every face in the hall turned towards Professor McGonagall whilst she fumed.

"Who started this?" The professor enquired in a deathly low voice. I glanced over at Grace, noticing Alexis had appeared at her shoulder with a small grin on her face.

"Props on aiming for Regulus," I mumbled as McGonagall began eyeing everyone individually that was standing in the hall. Remus appeared at my side with his face covered in mashed potatoes and a small smile.

"Your doing I presume," He muttered as McGonagall's eyes glided over our side of the hall before darting back across the room.

"Actually, Alex's doing," I corrected under my breath, "My doing is over with your friends."

Our eyes drifted over to the Marauders as they drank from their goblets when a glob of food shot over Remus' shoulder and hit Sirius in the face. I laughed in shock as Sirius' eyes drifted over to us, taking in Remus with a glare. He picked up his goblet and threw the contents at Remus, aiming straight for the face. Remus opened his mouth to yell at Sirius when the liquids dripped into his mouth and his eyes widened.

Remus clamped his mouth shut and glared at Sirius as I slammed a hand over my mouth to stop my laughter from burbling out. Alexis and Grace faded into the crowd slowly.

"I like to wear a spotty pink bikini!" Sirius shouted as he pointed a finger at Remus accusingly before his eyes widened in horror. James sat across the table laughing at his best friend and trying not to fall off of his chair. James was choking back tears of laughter when he tried to talk as well.

"I find boys very attractive," James choked out in between his laughs before he suddenly stopped. His eyes widened in shock as he clamped a hand over his mouth in terror and tried to explain himself but found himself unable to spout anything but the one statement.

"I'm wearing a sparkly thong," Peter said whilst pointing at James in shock before he too clamped his mouth shut with his eyes wide. I couldn't stop the laughter from sprouting from my throat as the boys looked at each other in shock and Remus chuckled a little at my side. Sirius looked up at Remus and pointed his finger accusingly.

"I like to wear a spotty pink bikini!" Sirius shouted again and Remus narrowed his eyes batting Sirius' hand away.

"I like to wear a spotty pink bikini!" Remus growled back before clamping a hand over his mouth. Sirius howled with laughter as the flush rose in Remus' cheeks. He scowled and crossed his arms over his chest before he glanced over Sirius' shoulder and blanched.

"Care to explain what's going on Miss Teilor?"

My laughter stopped abruptly as I looked up into the harsh gaze of Professor McGonagall, her eyes narrowed dangerously. I swallowed, standing up straight and squaring off against the professor a little. I crossed my arms defiantly to cover up their shaking as I choked back the rest of the laughter that was threatening to burst from my system.

"I think that there was a food fight and now the Marauders seem to be admitting their secrets," I replied lightly with a shrug, "Maybe someone slipped them some veritaserum. You should probably look into that."

Sirius glared at me from across the table and I smiled broadly, waving a little in his direction. McGonagall raised an eyebrow sceptically.

"Detention Miss Teilor, and twenty points from Ravenclaw for instigating this debacle," McGonagall said stiffly before turning to the Marauders, "And you boys can head off to the Hospital wing to get that problem fixed up whilst Miss Teilor attends to the cleaning of the Great Hall."

My mouth dropped open as I glanced around the hall and saw the food spread out on every available surface. The students were slowly dissipating from the room to change into clean clothes while I stood gaping in front of the Gryffindor head of house. She smiled widely and held her hand out.

"You'll be cleaning without magic Miss Teilor; I suggest you get to work," McGonagall instructed as I placed a wand in her hand and she waved her wand in a complicated pattern making a bucket full of water and a sponge appear. She pressed the bucket into my hands and turned on her heel to walk from the hall, the Marauders leaving me alone in the messy hall. I glanced at the mess around me and looked down at the bucket in my hands with a shrug.

"It was worth it," I said out loud to myself before setting the bucket on the table and pulling my wand out of my pocket and moving through the hall, thankful that I still had some realistic looking liquorice wands stashed away from one of my Hogsmeade trips.

"_Scourgify_!" I yelled, watching with satisfaction as the mess began to clean in the path of my bubbles. I moved through the hall quickly, waving my wand at small areas of mess and clearing them with a trail of bubbles. As I was nearly half done I looked up to find my curly-haired friend leaning in the doorway.

She was watching my moves with a grin as she assessed the damage that the food had made. She looked me in the eyes as she rubbed the back of her head absently.

"Looks like you had an eventful lunch," Alexa commented lightly, "Anything I should know about."

"Probably," I called out before cleaning off a patch on the Ravenclaw table, "But I doubt you'd be that interested."

"Try me."

"Well Alexis may have started a food fight to distract the Marauders while Grace and I slipped the Marauders a potion," I summarised with a shrug as I moved down the Ravenclaw table, "Nothing too exciting."

"Oh I see," Alexa said as she appeared at my side with her own wand drawn, "Just your usual Sunday activities right?"

"Precisely."

Alexa sighed and moved over to the Slytherin table as I dashed back across the room to grab the bucket and sponge McGonagall left me before dumping them at the Slytherin table and joining Alexa in the hasty clean up. I heard the clatter of footsteps and dashed to my bucket, stowing my wand as quickly as I could before grabbing the sponge and scrubbing at a dirty spot on the table. Alexa stowed her own wand and sat on top of the Ravenclaw table.

"You should take up doing homework as a weekend hobby," Alexa suggested brightly as the footsteps approached, "It gets you in a lot less trouble.

"Oh, ha ha," I grumbled as the food came away under the sponge, "You're hilarious."

"Well aren't you a fast worker."

I looked up to find a sandy-haired Gryffindor leaning in the door frame and smiled, whipping my wand out once more and returning to work on the tables. Remus smiled and moved to help as well but I shook my head as I got the last spot of food that had been left behind from the fight. I turned around and sat on top of the Slytherin table with a sigh, wiping the back of my hand across my forehead in an exaggerated show of exhaustion.

"You got fixed up quickly Remus," I commented with a smile, "Did Madam Pomfrey have the antidote in stock then?"

"Apparently," Remus responded, "Weren't you lucky for that? I'm sure Sirius would've come after you for blood if he was left spouting that nonsense for the rest of the day."

"Speaking of the irritable Marauder," Alexa said as she glanced in the direction of Remus as he leaned casually against the Ravenclaw table, "Why aren't you with them?"

"A small misunderstanding," Remus responded with a shrug.

"Apparently Remus and I were on a date yesterday," I said, barely able to hold the growl out of my voice, "Which is funny, 'cause no-one told me I was going on a date."

"Are you serious?" Alexa choked as she fought a laugh, "But you barely know each other."

"Lupin!" A deep voice yelled from the doorway to the Great Hall. We looked as one to find Sirius Black standing between James and Peter as they marched into the large room.

"I thought I warned you to stay away from her," Sirius growled as he stormed forward.

"Is there a problem Black?" I asked smoothly, getting up and placing myself between the enraged Gryffindor and his prey, "I'm trying to have a conversation with my friends here."

"Stay out of this Teilor," Sirius growled as he glared at the boy behind my shoulder. I huffed and crossed my hands over my chest.

"Why don't you make me Black? After all, I'm the centre of this whole matter," I retorted icily. Sirius turned his glare towards me and I arched my eyebrow.

"Why don't you talk to me about it directly Black? I'd _love_ to hear this. After all, this entire misunderstanding is your fault to begin with."

Sirius looked at me in confusion and I smiled darkly, looking down my nose at him though he was over a head taller than I was. He took a single step back cautiously as I smirked at him.

"Remus and I went on a date you say?" I asked kindly with a grin before scowling and glaring at Sirius, "False. Remus saved me when a bunch of "Man-whore wannabes" attacked me in a fruitless effort to prove that they were better than you. He was helping me out and you're treating him as rubbish in response. Dear Merlin Sirius, you should be thanking your friend for saving me considering you wish to have me fall for you. Acting like _this _just affirms my opinions of you Black. Enough of your chauvinistic nonsense, alright? I'm sick of it."

I threw my hands up in the air and stormed from the Great Hall, leaving the others behind as I fumed and wove my way through the school towards the library. It hadn't occurred to me at first that that was where I was going, but as soon as I stepped through the library doors I felt a wave of peace much like I used to when I'd go to my family library at home. I moved through the aisles, pulling out an advanced charms book and sitting on the first available surface to flip through its contents.

If Sirius Black was going to get me to fall for him, it was about time he figured some things out.

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><p><strong>So yeah, that was chapter 5... I hope you enjoyed it! So, drop a review so I can know what you think. I'd love to hear from you :)<strong>


	6. Gaining Way

**Sorry for the long time between updates... I had a lot of trouble with this chapter. My problem being, I know where this story is going but I'm still working on how it gets there and as a result I get mild brain farts that obstruct me from actually coming up with anything... to make up for it, this is my longest chapter yet... Surprise! I actually know what's happening in the next chapter so I should be able to post that reasonably soon which is good news. If I do post it soon, cheer for me. If I don't... well, feel free to glare daggers at your computers or throw them across the room or whatever it is that aggravated people do to their computers these days...**

**Quick thanks to all my reviewers! I always appreciate hearing from you. If anyone else likes (or hates, whatever floats your boat) my story feel free to drop me a review. I'd love to hear what you think. Seriously. Even if it's only what you think about whatever your lunch was or whatever.**

**Two more things. One. If you don't know who the OCs in this story are by now YOU SHOULD ACTUALLY BE PAYING ATTENTION.**

**and Dos. If you are daft enough to believe I actually own Harry Potter, you should look over all my spelling and grammatical errors from the previous chapters and reconsider you judgement.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6 – Gaining Way<strong>

The scratching of quills on parchment pervaded the quiet atmosphere of the library in a pleasant manner, creating a sense of quiet peace as students hurried to finish their homework. I fingered my way along the spines of various tomes in the Transfiguration section, trying to find anything even mildly helpful for the latest essay that McGonagall had pinned on her poor unsuspecting fifth years. Pulling out one of the more advanced tomes I thumbed through the pages until I reached the index before drawing my index finger carefully down the weathered page to try and locate the blasted information I needed. I could've always asked Remus, Alexa or Lily for help – and to some degree Grace who was far better at locating the necessary information than I – but had turned away their kind offers of assistance in favour of completing the work myself.

Finding a small, yet promising, section in one of the books I drew away from the shelves and made my way out into the main section of the library. I flipped through the pages idly as I moved, checking nearby pages to see if I could find any more information, but coming up blank in the process. Students parted in front of me as I made my way to the only vacant table in the library, still refusing to have anything to do with the girl who had besmirched their favourite Sirius Black even though that had been nearly a month ago, while I kicked the chair out from its place beneath the table and set my small book bag on the ground.

"Why is the information for the longer essays always so hard to come by?" I grumbled quietly as I took my seat and placed the open book down in front of me, "It's as if the teachers get some sick pleasure from watching their students flail through texts for a smidgeon of information; stupid McGonagall. Who even cares about the proper theory for transfiguring people's attire?"

"Probably McGonagall considering she set the essay," A deep voice suggested from a spot just beyond my left shoulder. I froze from grabbing my parchment from my bag and squared my shoulders, scowling at the floor. My movements slowed as I drew some parchment, a quill and some ink from my bag before turning to the table in front of me and setting the necessary materials down.

A scraping resounded through the library as a chair was drawn up beside my own and Sirius Black took a seat at my left hand side, smiling as if he had no troubles in the world.

"Y'know, I've figured out why you're not talking to me," Sirius began arrogantly, glancing out of the corner of his eye to see if I would respond before continuing with, "It's because you've already lost the bet and have fallen hopelessly in love with me."

I jerked at the lid of my inkwell a little too hard and as it came off a splatter of ink splashed into Sirius' smirking face. Grinning a little, I set the inkwell down and picked up my quill, dipping it in the ink before setting in the ink and scrawling a title at the top of my paper next to my name. Sirius spluttered a little at my side as he brushed the ink off of his face and glanced over my shoulder at the page.

"Is that the essay from yesterday?" Sirius asked looking over at me as I rolled my eyes.

_Nah, I'm just writing a transfiguration essay for my own amusement, _I thought with a scowl as my eyes scanned the meagre piece of information I had found. I read through the small paragraph several times before groaning and leaning back in the wooden library chair and running my hands through my already-messy, brown hair.

I opened a bleary eye as I heard a chair scrape again and watched as Sirius got up from his spot and moved away from the table. Scrunching my eyes closed again I rubbed the palms of my hands over my eyes in circles before opening them wide and picking up my quill. A black stain of ink had spread from where I'd left the quill leaning on the parchment causing me to scowl and scrunch the now ruined paper into a ball before reaching into my bag to retrieve a new scroll.

As I was setting the new roll of parchment up on the table the chair beside me scraped again at Sirius' return as he dropped a pile of books on top of my open one. All of them were reasonably small basic transfiguration texts and I frowned up at Sirius; was he mocking me by placing the basics in front of my nose?

Sirius barked a laugh at my offended gaze and picked up the top book, flipping towards the back and presenting the open page to me before grabbing up the next book and repeating the motion, leaving each book in an open pile on my parchment. I continued to scowl at the offending books before turning my scowl on the Gryffindor boy who was kicking back in his seat next to me. If I wasn't giving him the silent treatment at the point in time I would have been chewing his ear off for such a rude move.

"They're the books I used for my essay, Remus found them," he explained with a light laugh before pointing to the open page in front of me, "This one details the theory for transfiguring inanimate objects, the next one down for objects of obscure shapes and so on. I figure they'd be more help than that paragraph you found for yourself."

My cheeks heated as I bit back a round of insults before nodding in thanks and turning to the books in front of me. To my great annoyance I found the passages that Sirius had supplied to be severely helpful in finishing McGonagall's essay and breathed a sigh of mixed relief and frustration when I closed my final book and set my quill down, careful that it wouldn't create another stain on my essay.

Blowing on the parchment to help the ink dry faster, I absentmindedly piled the books up to put them away when Sirius took them from my grasp and stood instead, disappearing into the shelves. I took to shaking the parchment as the library began to empty out in droves when students moved onto their last classes of the day. Rolling up my parchment quickly I tossed it into my bag with my quill before capping my inkwell and tossing that in as well. If I didn't hurry I would not only be late to Care of Magical Creatures but also I would be, no doubt, followed by Sirius as he ditched his class in favour of walking me to mine. The gesture would be sweet if it weren't for the fact that his presence was severely unwanted.

I dashed from the library as Sirius returned from amidst the bookcases and took a running leap down the staircase when I got to it, charging down several floors before pushing out the oak doors with a group of startled first years and nearly knocking one over in the process.

"Sorry Junior!" I yelled at the frightened girl over my shoulder, "Feel free to snitch me out to your teacher and get me a detention or something but I refuse to be late to class!"

_How very Ravenclaw of you,_ a voice in the back of my mind congratulated brashly, _'Bout time you started living up to those colours on your chest again._

I pulled up at the edge of the Forbidden Forest with my fellow fifth year students as the bell rang in the distance to signal the beginning of class. Alexa inched over to me from her spot at the front of the group as the lithe, blonde teacher began the lesson in a loud booming voice that people were still alarmed to find coming from his body.

"Cutting it a little close there don't you think?" Alexa muttered to my doubled over form as I struggled to regain my breath after my lengthy dash.

"Never… never doing… that… again," I managed in between gasps of breath as I found myself able to stand to my full height again but still wheezing slightly.

"Yeah, you said that the last time too," Alexa grumbled as she fumbled with her bag and pulled out a dark brown book entitled _A World of Magical Beasts_ and flipped to the page that the teacher had indicated along with the rest of the class.

"This time I mean it," I grumbled, glancing at the page over her shoulder instead of getting out my own book, "That was hell and a half."

"You're still repeating yourself Maree," Alexa pointed out as her finger traced the page idly before watching the teacher with rapt attention as he continued his lesson on Bowtruckles.

"Sod off Lexie," I said as I folded my arms over my chest and turned my attention to our teacher as well, "Can't you just pretend that I'm a girl of my word?"

"Nope," She retorted brightly, popping the end of her word in a highly condescending manner.

I grumbled incoherently to myself as Alexa laughed quietly and continued following our teacher's lecture with her eyes glazing over slightly.

"Ninety-nine bottles of butterbeer on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of butterbeer. You take one down, pass it around; ninety-eight bottles of butterbeer on the wall," I hummed absently, fiddling with the end of my sleeve as the professor continued his prolonged lecture.

I silently cursed the choice of the Care of Magical Creatures' teacher, scowling at the thought of the theory-loving bastard. The only reason I'd taken this class was so I could play with the different magical creatures, but no; I was stuck listening to a mixture of girls swooning and the prolonged lectures of arguably one of the hottest – if not then definitely one of the most boring - teachers in the school. Professor Stevenson was often the topic of heated conversations between the younger members of the school, his name was brought up in conversation almost as much as Sirius Black's, but there was one thing that any of the senior students would attest to; as soon as the effects of his good looks wore off, you were in for one hell of a boring year.

"Ninety-five bottles of butterbeer-"

"Maree, kindly shut up before we get in trouble," Alexa muttered from the corner of her mouth as Professor Stevenson glanced in our direction, "I'd rather not get a detention because of you."

Professor Stevenson's eyes swept away moments later to look at another group of students somewhere to his left side as I shrugged and took to humming the tune under my breath to Alexa's chagrin. After a good half of the lesson in which Alexa's eye had been twitching from my constant pestilence – I'd taken to poking her in between verses of my hummed song – Alexa had used her textbook to hit me over the back of the head. The Professor's well-prepared lecture stuttered for a moment as he looked up to see me clutching the back of my head and whining loudly.

"Is there a problem Miss Teilor?" Professor Stevenson asked coolly, his eyes resting on me as I stumbled around a little.

"Lexie, that hurt," I whined, drawing out the last word in my statement as I gripped the back of my head and struggled to get my eyes focused, "Was the world always so spinny?"

"It's your own fault," Alexa said coldly, concern lighting up behind her eyes as she checked the back of my head and grabbed my shoulders as I started to fall sideways.

"What's going on back there?" Professor Stevenson demanded impatiently, tapping his foot in a steady rhythm against the grass.

"Maree isn't feeling well," Alexa supplied, keeping a firm grip on my shoulders, "I think she might be sick, can I take her to the Hospital Wing Professor?"

"Dirty rotten liar," I grumbled under my breath as Alexa began to steer me away from my lingering classmates, "Can't even own up to abusing your friend."

"Honestly, Maree," Alexa sighed as she led me into the Entrance Hall, "Stop being so childish. It was your own fault after all."

"Doesn't make you any less abusive," I pointed out as I lurched forward a bit and nearly propelled myself out of my friend's steady grasp, her eyes flashing behind her square frames.

Alexa caught me quickly and set me upright again as my hand went to my head, the world tilting dangerously around me as I fought to make everything still once more. The floor seemed to tilt uneasily in every different direction as I moved causing my steps to become even more precariously wobbly as I clung to the feeling of Alexa's hands at my shoulders. We made it up two floors before my dizziness peaked and my knees buckled, sending me sprawling towards the ground, backwards.

"Maree!" Alexa yelled as she launched herself after me, trying to catch me before I toppled down the stairs. I clenched my eyes shut as I watched the world tilt in an unnervingly realistic way and braced for the solid impact of marble against my back.

A low yelp was drawn from my throat as my back slammed against the first step before I felt myself rolling further down, my head slapping against the marble, then my back, then the back of my legs, my arms; all the while the world tumbling even behind my closed eyes. The silence of the corridor was broken only by my irregular yelps as I felt the various parts of my body slam against the staircase. My eyes were jolted open as I came to a sudden agonising halt when the adrenaline faded from the fear of falling and the pain of my various collisions arrived in full force.

Tears sprung to my eyes as I began to whimper, biting back the shriek of pain that was rising in my throat as I heard footsteps approaching. I closed my eyes again as the tears leaked and my whimpers turned to sobs. The footsteps halted at my side – I couldn't tell which side, my ears were roaring and the spinning had grown ten-fold - and I could hear quiet sobs. I forced my eyes open and looked up to see a brown blur overhead. I bit my lower lip and braced myself, pushing myself up onto my elbows before managing to sit up entirely, all the while feeling as if hot knives were being stabbed into various parts of my body.

"Maree? Are you alright?" Alexa asked, leaning in to try and support my back and unintentionally touching a sore spot. I hissed involuntarily and she moved back quickly, apologising profusely at a speed that was hard to follow in my still disoriented state.

"I just fell down a flight of stairs Lexie, I'm as good as I'll ever be after something like that," I replied airily with a shrug, cringing as pain shot through my shoulders, "Help me up and let's just get this Hospital Wing trip over and done with shall we?"

"But Maree-"

"I'm fine, don't worry about it."

I could see the brown blur tilt to the side as if in disbelief, as I tried to make my eyes focus and let a small smile slide across my face. Alexa's hands appeared in my own as she tried to pull me to my feet, and I winced as the tugging put a strain on my sore shoulders, before gripping each of my shoulders lightly and propelling me in, what I hoped was, the direction of the Hospital Wing.

The blurs around me slowly grew clearer as we moved, fading from a mix of colour into defined objects before I saw the Hospital Wing doors up ahead. I let out a low sigh of relief as Alexa let me go and pushed the door open, grabbing my wrist carefully and pulling me in behind her.

"Madam Pomfrey!" Alexa called into the empty room, cupping a hand on one side of her face to try and make her voice carry a bit better.

Alexa helped me onto one of the nearby beds as my legs gave out and I nearly fell again. Alexa, growing agitated at the sign of my weakness called out again, a bit more desperately. In the distance we could hear the matronly lady bustling around in her office. Moments later, the young healer burst through her office door, her black hair pulled into a low bun and her eyes fixed determinedly ahead. She glided down between the beds and stopped in front of me, brushing Alexa aside as she began to hover over me. I vaguely registered the sound of the school bell overhead and the noise of students piling into the corridors when the nurse prodded a particularly tender spot and I hissed and shot away from her.

"What happened?" Madam Pomfrey asked in a demanding tone as she drew close to me again and began to find the sources of injury.

"She fell down a flight of stairs," Alexa replied as I opened my mouth to respond, "She'd been dizzy when her legs gave out and she fell down the stairs."

"I can answer for myself y'know," I grumbled, going to cross my arms over my chest childishly but stopping as a sharp pain dug at my shoulders again.

"Well, as far as I can tell," the nurse said as she moved away and drew her wand, muttering a spell and concentrating on the glowing spots that suddenly appeared all over my body, "She's got a lot of severe bruising all over her body and possibly a concussion to match. You're lucky," she continued, suddenly addressing me, "It could have been a lot worse."

With that said, Madam Pomfrey headed back to the other end of the Hospital Wing to retrieve several different potion vials – each a more vile looking colour than the next – before returning and uncorking them one by one before passing them to me. I tried to down them in one go – as disgusting as they looked they all tasted a great deal worse – but found myself choking down some of the potions as I fought to control my gag reflex. Alexa, despite appearing mildly distressed, looked entirely too amused at my predicament and as soon as Madam Pomfrey was out of earshot she leaned towards me.

"Serves you right for annoying your best friend for a period," She whispered and I swatted at her face.

"Oh, bugger off," I growled before crossing my arms petulantly, glad that the pain had dulled to a light twinge, "You were listening just as much as I was – which is to say, not at all – so don't even think about going all 'mother hen' on me."

Madam Pomfrey returned at that moment and picked up the empty vials, appraising me with gentle eyes for a moment.

"You should be fine to leave in about half an hour," Madam Pomfrey commented lightly, biting back a grin as she followed up with, "But I wouldn't go tumbling any more flights of stairs any time soon."

She turned on her heel and disappeared into her office down the other end of the Wing as Alexa clutched the edge of my bed to try and hold back her giggles.

"Well isn't she a bloody comedian," I grumbled, "Picking on the injured."

Alexa collapsed onto the floor in a fit of giggles, barely making any noise as she struggled to breathe through her wracking laughs. I raised an eyebrow at my best friend before scowling and frowning at the sheets in front of me.

"I just fell down a flight of stairs and even my best friend is laughing at me; great… just perfect."

I glanced down the Hospital Wing to make sure that Madam Pomfrey was well out of sight before sliding off of my bed and standing on shaky legs. I stretched lightly, trying to stretch out my slightly aching limbs before making my way to the doors of the Hospital Wing. Pushing them open quietly, I glanced over my shoulder to find Alexa still curled on the floor in laughter before rolling my eyes and leaving my best friend behind. The doors slid shut quietly as I emerged into the semi-crowded hallway and began to move in the same direction as the majority of the loitering students.

"Hey there," a deep voice said as an arm was slung across my still aching shoulders, "Aren't you that Teilor girl?"

I hissed a little as the boy, whoever he was, applied pressure across my shoulders and pushed into the sorest parts of my limbs.

"You're quite pretty," the boy complimented, leaning in close to my ear until I could feel his warm breath against my skin, "Probably high-maintenance too, but I can deal with that. I'll show you a good time, and maybe you can do the same for me."

I wriggled in the tight grip, trying to draw away from the boy and get some distance between us. Feeling a little desperate, my hand flew into my robes for my wand when a hand closed painfully around my wrist.

"Now, now," the boy chastised, his voice taking on a dangerous undertone, "Don't be like that. I'm sure that you're just playing hard to get with Sirius, but really you're easy right?"

"Get your hands off of her Carter!" Another voice shouted from the other end of the hallway.

"Why should I Black?" Carter yelled back, his head dipping until it was mere centimetres from my own and his breath was brushing my cheek. I could just barely see a glint of blue, probably from the boy's eyes, before I cringed and tried to angle my face as far away as possible.

"Can't you see she's not interested? Sod off moron! Before I make you!" I heard Sirius yell from a slightly closer distance.

"It's not like she's interested in you! Besides, she's just playing, I'm sure I can get her to comply with me," Carter retorted in a self-assured fashion, "Everyone knows she's ignoring you. Everyone knows she hates you. Why do you bother?"

A light pressure applied to my cheek, slowly making its way down my face and towards my lips as I tried to squirm from the larger boy's grip. He tightened his grip and my shoulders stabbed with residual pain causing me to cry out in shock, tears springing to my eyes. Before I could comprehend what was happening, Carter had pressed his lips to my open mouth and slid his tongue inside. I went rigid, Carter's arms moving from my shoulders and into my hair, stroking my head and playing with my long locks. He pulled away after a moment to catch his breath, his heavy breathing the only noise in the near-empty corridor.

"See baby," Carter said in between breaths as he leaned in again, "I told you I was good."

I pushed at the boy's chest, my eyes wide as he leaned in again to claim my lips once more as his hands moved down from my hair along my body. I was struggling desperately in the boy's grip as he leaned in even closer, my eyes catching sight of the dumb-struck Gryffindor only a few feet away. Before my mind could catch up I acted on pure instinct.

"Sirius, help me!" I shrieked just as the boy claimed my lips again. I felt his hand against my chest before the boy was thrown off me entirely and slammed into the wall. In a matter of moments, Sirius was over the boy, his wand held at Carter's throat. Carter merely smirked up at the enraged Gryffindor.

"What's the matter Black? Jealous that I got more in five minutes than you've ever gotten from her? I knew she was easy-"

Sirius jammed the end of his wand harshly into the boy's throat causing the boy to choke.

"Maree Teilor is a smart, talented, fun, beautiful, stubborn, wonderful witch. She's all of those things but she sure as _hell_ isn't easy," Sirius growled, digging his wand into Carter's throat to prove his point, "You forced yourself on her, when she was trying to get away from you. How the hell does that make her easy, huh, Carter? She may not want anything to do with me, and that's her own choice, but I certainly won't throw myself all over that marvellous witch unless she asks me to. Now, apologise."

I stood with wide eyes just beyond Sirius' shoulder. Something wet was sliding down my cheeks as my face heated at Sirius' words. Surely he didn't mean anything he said; obviously he was only interested in me because of the bet so this was, logically, just another ploy to get me to fall for him. I knew all this in my head, and yet the racing of my heartbeat told me that no matter whether it was a ploy or not, it was working.

Damn you taking advantage of my situation and flattering me.

"I-I'm sorry," Carter ground out as Sirius dug his wand into the older boy's throat again, "I'm sorry okay?"

I shook my head when I noticed that both of their eyes had been drawn to me before nodding silently at the boy. Sirius released the boy and I vaguely noticed the blue on his robes before he was up and dashing for the end of the hall. My eyes were locked on Sirius, as I stood there, unable to speak as the Gryffindor turned to face me properly.

"I know you don't want to talk to me, but are you alright?" Sirius asked gently, standing a good metre away and tilting his head a little. I stood in silence for a moment and he seemed to nod to himself before turning to go off down the corridor after Carter when my hand snapped out quickly and caught his wrist.

"Did you mean what you said?" I asked, my cheeks flushing a bright red as I stuttered, "I m-mean – well – it's just that –"

"Yeah, every word," Sirius replied with a small smile.

I don't know what part of me possessed my body at that moment but I launched myself at the Gryffindor and grasped my hands around his shoulders, holding him close. He froze for a minute as if unsure of what to do, before his own arms snaked around me and returned the kind gesture.

"Y'know, I'm gonna compliment you more often if it means I at least get hugs," Sirius said, and I could just hear the smirk in his tone.

"Don't push your luck Black," I replied pulling away, "That was mostly for saving me from him."

Sirius seemed to frown a little, looking a bit downtrodden as I took a step back.

"However," I added with a small grin, "You have helped yourself just a little today. Maybe we can hang out sometime."

I smiled at the shocked Gryffindor, hearing a set of footsteps behind me and glancing over my shoulder to see my curly-haired best friend making her way towards me from the Hospital Wing. She looked at us in mild surprise before I began to walk along the corridor and past the dumbfounded Gryffindor, heading for the Grand Staircase and latching tightly onto Alexa's arm when she finally managed to catch up before beginning to descend the staircase. A noise from behind me caused me to glance over my shoulder and see Sirius standing at the top of the stairs.

"Will you go to Hogsmeade with me?" Sirius asked hopefully, looking up into my pale-green eyes.

"Not in your dizziest daydreams Black," I replied immediately, "You've only just promoted yourself from complete and total jackass nuisance to normal human being. Don't push it."


	7. Midnight Meetings

**A reasonably quick up date for me! *le gasp* Feel free to applaud or just stare blankly at the screen. Whatever it is you people do for entertainment.**

**[Pause for effect]**

**Now I would like to send a quick thanks to all the people who either reviewed or faved or alerted me or my story. I am totally honoured. Giving extra props here to my most loyal reviewer and best friend Lexie who just so happens to read through my chapters and check for major spelling or grammatical errors. She's amazing.**

**Finally, I would like to acknowledge the fact that I don't own Harry Potter but I do own my small collection of OCs.**

**If you like my story review. If you don't review. Even if it's a single word review (They're possible. Lexie and I were discussing it) I would love to hear from you.**

**And now...**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7 – Midnight Meetings<strong>

I stared at the parchment in front of me, listening to Alexa's intent scrawling to my left as I attempted to balance my quill between my top lip and my nose without sneezing. After the fifteenth try with the same result, I placed my quill down and tried to focus on the work in front of me once more, looking at the textbook placed slightly further in front of it for the answers to Stevenson's stupid essay on Bowtruckles. Alexa and I had been sitting side by side attempting to do homework for the last few hours and it had gotten really late as my attention had waned.

Shaking my head, I frowned intently at the parchment before picking up my quill and dipping it into Alexa's inkwell in a half-hearted attempt to get a rise from her. She ignored me as she continued with her own Ancient Runes work – having finished the Care of Magical Creatures work hours ago and refusing to let me peek at her work until I'd at least attempted it on my own – while I scrawled my name and a title at the top of the page. Considering the information in front of me for another few moments I sighed and threw my quill down on the table, unsatisfied by the small tap it made when it collided with the surface.

"I give up," I moaned, pushing my work aside and nearly toppling Alexa's work as well in the process, "This is annoying, therefore, I give up."

"You can't give up," Alexa responded absently as she dotted her sentence and glanced up at me with a wicked grin, "You're a Ravenclaw."

"If I was hard-working I'd be in Hufflepuff," I reasoned, crossing my arms in front of my chest and pouting at Alexa petulantly before glaring at the parchment in front of me as if it had caused some great offense.

"Come on Maree," Alexa sighed, running her fingers loosely through her short curls, "It's not that hard."

I scowled down at the page in front of me in frustration, before arriving at a seemingly brilliant idea. I picked up the quill happily and drew my parchment back towards myself, dipping my quill in Alexa's inkwell again – and earning a mildly annoyed grumble in response – before setting my quill to the parchment and writing:

_What is the reasoning behind the Bowtruckles' habits? Simple really; some boring stupid bullshit crap you spouted in your lecture that you expected people to pay attention to Professor Stevenson. But I think you'll find the true answer is that no one gives a flying fu-_

My last word trailed off as Alexa snatched my parchment away with a sigh.

"I wasn't done with that," I said mildly, half-heartedly trying to retrieve my parchment as Alexa balled it up and tossed it into the common room fire.

"I think you were," Alexa responded quietly as she returned to her own work.

"Buzz kill," I grumbled under my breath, throwing my quill down again and crossing my arms.

"If you're not gonna do anything productive, just go to sleep," Alexa said with a sigh without even looking up, "I actually intend to have some free time this weekend instead of rushing to get my work done at the last minute."

"You're way more fun during the day," I replied, snuggling into the armchair I'd been occupying and allowing my eyes to droop lazily, "Wake me when you're going to bed."

My head fell into the crook of one of my elbows as I took several deep breaths and tried to get comfortable. Finding my current spot less than desirable, I shifted in the chair and tried to relax again before shifting a final time and finding myself incredibly comfortable. I could almost feel myself drifting off when the scratching of Alexa's quill drew me back to the waking world. I opened my eyes a small amount to glare at the feathered monstrosity that was causing the noise before trying to drift off again only to be brought back by the quill's incessant scratching once more.

I shifted a final time and let the silence that filled the rest of the common room float through me as I began to drift into dreaming. Alexa had seemingly paused in her writing because the scratching of her quill was no longer holding me back from sleep. My mind dimmed as my thoughts slowed to a low comfortable hum in the back of my head and the darkness that inhabited my mind seemed to spread through my body. I took a few last deep breaths as I neared sleep and smiled in pleasure.

_Scratch, scratch._

"Damn it Lexie!" I yelled in frustration as I sat straight up and glared at the scratching monstrosity. Alexa looked up, mildly amused at my frustration as I turned my eyes on her.

"Yes?" she enquired quietly, a small smirk tugging at the edge of her lips, "Is there a problem?"

"Some of us are trying to sleep here," I growled indignantly, crossing my arms across my chest.

"Some of us are trying to study," Alexa replied easily, returning to the work in front of her as if nothing of consequence had occurred, "Maybe you should try it some time."

"It's nearly midnight," I whined, drawing out my final word as if that proved a point, "Study at a more reasonable hour."

"I'm nearly done," Alexa said calmly, "Just go up to bed and I'll be there in a bit."

"Doubt it," I grumbled, shoving all my loose papers into my bag and shutting it, leaving the texts spread across the table just to try to annoy Alexa. I glanced at the staircase to the dormitories glumly, considering the prospect of actually getting a decent night's sleep for once when an idea slid into my head.

Fumbling in my robes, I patted down my various concealed pockets until I found a piece of parchment with two names scrawled across the top. It was a small thing I'd developed at the start of the year so that I'd be able to contact my co-conspirators easier than having to send an owl every time I wanted to meet. Looking around the table I scowled before plucking Alexa's quill from her grip and dipping it in her ink to scrawl a small message onto the paper. I passed the quill back to Alexa and watched the paper intently as my words disappeared into the rough surface. I rapped my fingers on the table impatiently when words materialised on the surface in response to my own.

"What's that?" Alexa asked pointing at the paper curiously as the new messages faded away.

"A fine example of the fact that I'm superior to you in charms," I replied brightly, slipping my shoes onto my feet and rising with a small stretch, "I'm going out."

"No," she said simply, placing her quill down and going to get out of her chair to obstruct my path, "It's almost midnight."

"Don't use my reasoning against me," I said petulantly, "Besides I'm just going for a small walk. I'll be back in an hour tops; nothing to worry about."

"You're involved, this worries me," Alexa shot back, standing from her chair and standing in front of me, "I'm not letting you get into trouble."

"I've been getting into trouble all year so far," I reasoned with a small roll of my eyes, "What's another night going to do to hurt that record?"

Alexa levelled a dark gaze at me for a moment, considering my logic carefully, before sighing and waving me off with a small hand gesture as she sank back into her armchair. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders quickly before moving past her and to the door to the common room.

"Only an hour, okay?" Alexa said without looking up from her work as she tapped her quill into her ink.

"Of course Lexie," I replied easily as I pushed the door open a bit, "Would I lie to you?"

I moved quickly out the door to prevent giving Alexa time to respond before rushing down the steps away from the common room, pausing only when I reached the bottom to glance into the hall and make sure there was no-one patrolling nearby. When I deemed the coast as clear, I slipped out into the moonlit hallway and furthered the distance between myself and the common room. I had a destination in mind, and I was determined to get there as fast as possible, hopefully while avoiding getting into too much trouble.

My footsteps echoed off the corridor around me as I kept to the shadows as much as possible, jumping when I imagined the sounds of another pair of footsteps following my own and spending a lot of my time ducked into alcoves or doorways. It took a great deal of time for me to make the short distance from the common room to the Grand staircase so to make up for it I took a running start to replenish any lost time.

As I turned onto the Grand Staircase I ran into a solid surface. My heart jumped up into my throat in a matter of seconds as I raised my eyes, readying myself to take whatever punishment was dealt to me, when I realised there was nothing in front of me. Startled by how odd that was, my thoughts began to speed again with panic as I tried to figure out what was going on. Perhaps I'd run into Peeves and for some reason he was taking mercy? Yes, surely that was it.

Dusting myself off, I rose and tried to move forward again only to find myself confronted with the same solid surface as before. I keeled backwards, taking a couple of steps in retreat and staring at the spot intently. Whilst I knew that there were several fake doors throughout Hogwarts, I'd never heard of a wall pretending to be a staircase, let alone the Grand Staircase at that. I tapped a finger to my chin, reaching out to try and find the surface in the darkness.

I jumped at the sound of clattering footsteps one floor up and turned quickly when a hand grabbed me from behind and I found myself being drawn to someone's body as several other bodies pressed together and material was draped over my body. I turned my head wildly, trying to catch sight of the person who'd grabbed me when I was led into the hall way I'd just exited and pressed close to the wall.

"What the f-?"

"Kindly be quiet before we're all caught," a hushed whisper requested from somewhere to my right. I opened my mouth to respond when a teacher turned at the end of our hallway and began to prowl along, glancing steadily into the shadows. As they drew closer, I held my breath in anticipation, watching as they paced at a steady rhythm along the corridor, coming right by us and then continuing on as if we weren't there.

When the teacher had disappeared round the far corner into a secret passageway, I felt the pressure holding me release as I began to breathe properly again. I turned to face the person who'd grabbed me as I vaguely noticed the material that had been thrown over me being drawn away.

I blinked a few times before rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand and blinking again as I found the Marauders standing around me in the hallway. James was standing to the left folding up a piece of material absently and shooting dark looks at Sirius as he lounged casually against the wall with Remus standing next to him. Peter was standing a little ways off with his face shrouded in darkness. I looked from Marauder to Marauder in shock before blinking a final time and taking a deep breath.

"You guys scared the shit outta me," I said quietly, glaring at the scattered group of boys, "What on earth are you doing out at this hour?"

"We could ask you the same question," Remus pointed out, crossing his arms across his chest, "You'll get in a ton of trouble if you're found wandering at this hour."

"I could say the same to you," I reasoned, crossing my arms in a similar gesture to Remus' and raising an eyebrow, "But I reckon you would listen as much as I will."

"I am a prefect you know," Remus retorted, "I could give you a detention for wandering at this hour."

"Ah, but then you'd have to give yourself one as well for the same reason," I responded with a wide grin, "After all, you couldn't have caught me if you weren't wondering after hours yourself."

"She's got you there Moony," Sirius cut in with a small snort.

Remus glared over at Sirius for a moment before returning his attention to me with a raised eyebrow.

"Back to the original question, what are you doing out at this hour?" Remus asked.

"I believe I asked the question so you should be the ones to answer me," I answered with a raised eyebrow, "Besides, I don't have time to waste on these question games, I'm on a strict schedule."

I turned on my heel and headed back towards the Grand Staircase when Remus flung his hand out to block my path. I raised an eyebrow at the extended limb before turning back to its sandy-haired owner with a pronounced frown.

"Any particular reason you're interrupting my rebellion time Remus?" I enquired good-naturedly, "Alexa doesn't let me get away with this often, so I hope the reason is good."

"We'll come with you," Remus offered as he held his hand out to James for the piece of material, "Just to make sure you don't get caught."

"We'll do what?" James interrupted, intercepting Remus' arm and staring him in the eyes with shock, "Uh-uh, I am not getting in more trouble with Evans because you're pulling the chivalry card again Moony."

"Just 'cause you're whipped when you're not even going out with the girl yet," Sirius muttered under his breath before speaking up, "I think we should at least walk her wherever she wants to go to make sure she doesn't get caught."

"Does 'she' get any say in this? 'Cause 'she' thinks she'll be fine," I cut in scathingly, rolling my eyes at their argument, "If that's all, I'm going."

I stepped around Remus' arm and headed towards the Grand Staircase again, moving down the stairs as quickly as possible to get away from the group of Gryffindors. Unfortunately, to my dismay, Remus and Sirius picked up my tail and followed me away from the other two. I let out a low breath as I slipped around the edge of the Entrance Hall and into the side-passage that leads to the kitchens of Hogwarts.

Quickening my pace, I halted outside a portrait of a bowl of fruit and glanced back to find my two new stalkers hot on my heels. I sighed again and reached out to tickle the pear, grabbing the handle when it appeared on the painting and turning it sharply. I pulled the door wide and entered the bustling room full of house elves, spotting my two companions across the room immediately.

"Geez Maree, what took you so long? Even Grace beat you and she had to come down from the seventh floor," the shorter brunette asked without even looking up. Grace glanced up from her hot chocolate with her mouth open when she caught sight of the Gryffindors that had followed me and snapped her mouth shut with a chuckle.

"I bumped into some company on my way," I growled, "_Literally_."

Alexis looked up from her own drink and caught sight of the boys at my shoulders. She didn't make any attempts to stop the grin that spread across her face at my obvious discomfort. I scowled at my Slytherin friend as she brought her cup to her lips in a sad attempt to cover up the chuckles that were slipping from her lips. Grace was doing a far better job at stifling her chuckles as I asked a nearby elf for a hot chocolate before moving to cut across the room and join my friends. I glanced over my shoulder at the loitering Marauders and turned to face them.

"Stay," I commanded, pointing at their spots as if they were particularly slow, "I'll be back later so you can complete your Gryffindor-ly duties of manliness."

Sirius opened his mouth to argue but I cut him off with a wave of my hand before turning on my heel and walking swiftly to my friend's side. I pulled out a chair and sank into it, running a hand through my loose locks as I let out a low groan. Alexis patted my back condescendingly before I swatted her hand away and grabbed my newly delivered hot chocolate off a nearby elf.

"So," I began, letting a grin pull at the corners of my mouth, "Halloween is nearly upon us."

"My prank senses are tingling," Grace said, leaning in close with a wide grin on her face, "What are the plans."

"As we all know, the Marauders pull a prank on Halloween every year," I explained as I took a small sip of my hot chocolate, blowing on the top to try to lower the temperature, "So I figured, with how we've been acting this year, we might join in their annual spirit."

"What'd you have in mind?" Alexis asked as she placed her mug down on the table carefully.

"Well, that's where you lovely ladies come in," I said with a shrug, "'Cause I haven't got a bloody clue about what we should do."

I took a long slurp of my chocolate drink before setting it back on the table and wiping the remnants from my lips, a thoughtful frown gracing my face. Alexis leaned back in her chair and cupped her chin in her hand as her eyebrows drew together while Grace leaned further forward on the table and began to trace patterns on the table as a frown drew her lips down. We all sat in a silence for a moment before a small smirk slid across Alexis' features and she leaned forward again.

"I think I have an idea," She whispered, the smile growing on her face as she spoke, "I'll send you guys the details later; wouldn't want to talk about it too much with the guard watching."

We all glanced at the loitering Marauders as one, earning a pair of confused stares as we looked back around at each other. I nodded at Alexis before finishing my drink quickly and calling over another house elf. After I sent them away with an order I turned back with a wild grin to my two conspirators. Alexis and Grace were sending me much the same look I was giving them, and that was reassuring because it meant that I definitely had my team behind me and that the Marauders were definitely in for some trouble.

I got up from the table and grabbed my request off the passing house elf before walking across the room to the waiting boys with a wide smile. Grace got up to join us, walking a step behind me and waving with me at Alexis as she remained rooted to her seat staring at her empty mug. I stopped a short distance from the boys and gestures to the door before following the boys out into the hall.

"What was that all about?" Sirius whispered as we moved along the corridor in the shadows.

"Girl stuff, y'know," I replied airily with a shrug, "Make-up, fashion, periods-"

"Too much information," Sirius groaned, looking a little pale as I sent a look to Grace who was stifling a giggle behind her hand.

"But you wanted to know," I responded cheekily, "Is the big manly Gryffindor too afraid to hear about peri-"

"Alright, alright, I won't ask, okay?"

"Excellent," I chirped, falling into an easy pace behind Sirius, "That saves a lot of time."

"Should I be worried?" Remus asked quietly, shooting me a knowing look from the corner of his eye. I sent an innocent smile his way and shrugged my shoulders before letting my grin slide into an easy smirk.

"Very."

"It wouldn-"

"No more information," I replied as we turned off of the Grand Staircase and headed in the direction of the Ravenclaw common room, ducking into an alcove once when we heard the clatter of shoes on marble before continuing our walk.

The boys stopped when we reached the bottom of the stairs to my common room whilst I skipped past them, stopping on the bottom step and sending them a sweeping bow.

"This is where we must part my dear friends," I said dramatically, pretending to hold back sobs as the group stood confused in front of me, "Alas, parting is such sweet sorrow."

Grace choked back a laugh as I turned on my heel and scampered up the stairs to the eagle door knocker and answered the riddle posed swiftly, entering the common room with a wide smile. Alexa looked up from her homework in the corner and sent me a scowl.

"You're late," she pointed out darkly.

I shrugged, skipping across the common room and placing my gift from the kitchens in front of her. She raised an eyebrow at my peace offering before looking up into my eyes.

"You show up late and assume that coming with bearings of hot chocolate will immediately make things better?" Alexa asked incredulously as I sank into the armchair nearby with a sigh.

"Doesn't it?" I asked before looking up at my best friend, "It's got rice milk and marshmallows by the way."

"Well it _helps_," Alexa grumbled as she took a small sip, "But you're still not off the hook."

"It's your boyfriend's fault," I grumbled, "If he hadn't have held me up."

"Remus is not my boyfriend," Alexa shot back, her cheeks growing red.

"Well he will be if you guys keep being all gooey over muggle books," I replied with a shrug.

"We do not get gooey over muggle books."

"Sure, whatever you say."

"Sod off."

I laughed lightly as a wave of tiredness hit me. I curled up in the armchair and closed my eyes, vaguely recognising the sound of Alexa's voice and her quill as my mind drifted and I fell asleep.


	8. Halloween Mishaps

**Hey guys! Sorry for the prolonged wait...**

**As some of you may or may not know, I just started university so I've been shuffling my schedule and finding time - and motivation - to write this chapter has been just a LITTLE difficult... But I got there. I know PRECISELY what is happening in the next chapter so I'll get that done on the weekend before another fun week at uni.**

**Quick thanks to all my reviewers! I love you guys so much! You make me want to keep writing (PS extra special shout out to I am Siriusly Loving Snape. Your review made me smile for that entire day.)**

**Big THANK YOU to my co-conspirators Lexie and Shape-Shifter Steph. They helped me with the chapter a bit. But only a bit. I AM STILL THE STORY GOD.**

**Whilst I am the god of this PARTICULAR story, I am not the god of the Harry Potter universe. I WISH I WAS but I'm not. I only own my characters which you should pretty much know by now if you've followed this story the entire way through...  
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**PEACE OUT and review please! I like to smile :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 8 <strong>**–**** Halloween Mishaps**

"Miss Teilor! Miss Penthea! Miss Trivic! Explain yourselves!"

I don't know what it was about Professor McGonagall that made me unable to take her seriously as she glared down her nose at us. Perhaps it was the lopsided hat placed on her head, or maybe it was the way that her robes hung from her shoulders at a precarious angle, or perhaps it was the fact that every square centimetre was covered in melted chocolate. Yeah, that was probably it.

"Uh… trick and treat Professor?" I offered uncertainly, raising my hands up in a submissive gesture and trying to stop the smile sliding onto my face. Unfortunately I could feel my face twitching even under the stern glare of the Gryffindor Head of House.

"Do you find this amusing Miss Teilor?" Professor McGonagall asked in a low voice, her eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. I could feel Alexis and Grace shaking at my sides and, upon further inspection found them laughing silently at the current situation.

"Nothing at all Professor," I replied amicably rocking on the balls of my feet, "But I think you'll find that there's something on your face. You might want to get rid of that."

The scowl on McGonagall's face became far more pronounced as she loomed over us, her breath coming out in short gasps and betraying her agitation. The giggling at both of my sides degraded a little but I could still feel the shaking of Alexis as she fought hard to repress her urge to bubble up with giggles. Yep, we were screwed.

All of the on-looking students watched with bated breath as we awaited our fates, cringing as McGonagall's loud voice echoed across the Entrance Hall, berating our inappropriate behaviour as older members of the school and scolding us on our inappropriate usage of dairy products. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted my curly-haired best friend shaking her head disapprovingly before disappearing into the crowd. I gulped; I was totally going to hear about this later.

"… Detention for the next three weeks, every night in my office at eight," McGonagall concluded before turning on her chocolate-coated heel and storming up the marble staircase. The crowd that had gathered in the hall to watch our punishment – most of which were covered in chocolate themselves – turned away as well and moved to clean themselves up before heading to their first class. Overall, I would assert that this was a very successful start to the day. Alexis and Grace however, disagreed a little.

In fact, as soon as McGonagall had walked off, the pair had proceeded to drag me down a hallway off of the Grand Staircase and dropped me at a desk in an abandoned classroom. Alexis closed the door quietly before the pair rounded on me.

"Detention Maree? Really?" Alexis asked darkly, glaring at me from under her bangs, "I thought we'd agreed that this was a prank that was going to exclusively attack the Marauders. Don't tell me that you've actually fallen for Sirius. That would explain why you refused to target him with this."

"You think I-? What? No way," I stuttered quickly, trying to get the implications solidify in my head as Alexis levelled her accusations at me, "I have not fallen for Sirius."

"Prove it," she challenged, leaning down towards my face.

"Fine I will," I retorted hotly, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I hoped you'd say that," Alexis said with a dark grin, acting on her Slytherin instincts for the first time in a long while.

I shrunk away from her evil smile and back into my wooden seat, barely paying attention as it began to creak from my consistent pressure upon its surface. Alexis reached into an inner pocket of her robes and pulled out a small notebook, flipping through its pages determinedly before thrusting an open page under my nose. I pushed the book back from my face a little and scanned the page in front of me before looking up at Alexis with wide eyes.

"No. That's not gonna happen."

"I think it will," Alexis replied, "If you don't want it posted around the school that you have a crush on young master Black."

"But that's not true," I whined childishly, pouting in my seat and crossing my arms, "You shouldn't lie about those sorts of things."

"I'm a Slytherin," Alexis replied with a shrug, "We lie about pretty much anything."

"I still refuse," I responded and looked away, "There is no way I'm doing that."

"What is it anyway?" Grace asked curiously, peeking over Alexis' shoulder at the little notebook. Alexis held the notebook up a little so that Grace could have a better view of the contents and a devilish smile spread onto Grace's face as well.

"Do it."

"No. I'm going to class."

I stood from the desk and brushed past my friends, heading across the small distance between the desk and the door in a few strides.

"I knew she'd fallen for him," I heard Grace whisper from beyond my shoulder. I turned slowly and glared at my friends.

"I have not," I growled lowly, my eyes narrowing further until they were almost slits, "I have not, nor will I ever, fall for Sirius Black."

"Prove it," Grace demanded, pushing the notebook in my direction. Now, I know I shouldn't rise to such an obvious challenge, but I couldn't have two of my best friends spreading lies about me.

"Fine."

Snatching the extended book from Alexis' grasp, I turned on my heel and stormed from the room, eyeing the plan angrily. I barely even noticed as I walked into my Defence Against the Dark Arts class and took the vacant seat next to Alexa, my concentration on the plans was so great. I felt Alexa glance over my shoulder at the notebook and snapped the book shut before turning my look of horror on my best friend.

"I think I just signed up for something I shouldn't have," I told her quietly as our teacher entered from his office at the front of the classroom.

"So long as it doesn't get you into any more trouble, I don't care," Alexa responded.

"You wouldn't like it," I informed in a dull whisper.

"Then don't tell me about it, okay?"

"Alright… But, just so you know in advance, this is all Alexis and Grace's fault."

"I told you not to tell me about it."

"So long as you know I'm not at fault."

She sighed and turned her head to face me, stopping from the stream of notes that had begun as soon as the teacher had walked in. I looked at her pleadingly and she nodded once before resuming her note-taking and leaving me to mull over the idiocy I had signed up for. I looked over the plan once more and sighed, doodling on a blank sheet of parchment as I waited impatiently for the bell to ring so I could get this whole mishap over and done with.

I rose mechanically as the bell tolled overhead and stuffed my belongings into my backpack, turning to Alexa and nodding once before disappearing into the hall and heading towards Muggle Studies. This was it, I was going to do this to him and then Alexis and Grace would get off my case and everything would be fine again. That's right, everything would be fine.

"Hey Teilor!" I was so screwed.

"Hey," I greeted brightly, turning on my heel to wave at the approaching Gryffindor, "Having a nice Halloween so far?"

"I don't know," Sirius responded as he caught up and we began to walk in the same direction, "Would you classify 'getting covered in chocolate at breakfast' a 'good Halloween'?"

"I think McGonagall did," I said with a smile and a shrug, taking up my usual seat in the back row and kicking back in my seat, "That's why we got three weeks of detention."

Sirius started to laugh as he occupied the seat next to mine and pulled out some parchment, ink and an eagle-feather quill. I leaned casually reached into my own bag and pulled out quite similar equipment and tossed it onto the table in front of me. _This is good. Just act casual and he won't suspect anything._

"Got anything planned for today?" I asked as our eccentric teacher bustled in with some form of electrical appliance that she called a _toaster_.

"Are you asking me out?" Sirius asked with a sly smirk glancing at me sideways as I sat forwards in my seat and picked up my quill. I glared at Sirius from the corner of my eye as I began to take vague notes on what the professor was saying.

"You know exactly what I was asking about," I growled quietly as I abandoned my notes abruptly and began to doodle flowers across the top of my parchment, "Stop being a git."

"If we did I wouldn't tell you," Sirius retorted in a fake snob voice, throwing his nose in the air and sending an expectant look my way.

I shrugged and continued with my aimless doodle, drawing vines from my flowers to loop around the top of the page and connect everything together before running out of room for flowers and drawing little hearts scattered across the page. Glancing at Sirius I noticed he had his head down and was dot-pointing various notes down his page. Slowly, I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my wand twirling it and muttering under my breath as I tapped my hand on the table as if I'd grown bored of note-taking – it wasn't a hard act to put on.

Sirius' robes slowly blended through colours until they were a gleaming fluorescent pink with acidic green hearts over them, all of this went unnoticed by the distracted Gryffindor as he continued to write his notes with a look of intense concentration. Smiling at my work, I moved onto the next stage with a sigh before setting my wand away into my bag and taking up my quill again.

"I hate you Alexis and Grace," I grumbled under my breath, "I hate you so much."

"Mister Black," our professor called in a commanding voice, "Whilst I approve of your colour choice, why are you out of uniform?"

"What are you talking about professor?" Sirius asked in confusion as the class turned to face him, trying to stifle their laughter at the sight of the Gryffindor's clothes. I clapped a hand over my mouth like everyone else and bit back a forced laugh all the while thinking of the various methods of torture I would use on Grace and Alexis when I saw them next.

Sirius seemed to notice that everyone's attention was drawn to his robes and glanced down, leaping out of his chair in shock.

"What the f-"

"Mister Black, language!"

It wasn't until I caught the look on Sirius' face as he leapt from his chair that this whole prank had become worthwhile. All thoughts of murder against my friends were placated as I bit my cheek to keep myself from howling in laughter. Apparently, Sirius noticed this.

"You," Sirius accused, pointing a shaking finger at me, "You did this."

"What are you talking about Sirius?" I asked quietly, my brow raised in confusion, "I've been sitting next to you this entire time, wouldn't you have noticed if I did something like that?"

Sirius opened his mouth to retort before snapping it shut and jabbing his finger at me a few times before putting his finger down and retaking his seat. All the while Professor Keating was staring at the Gryffindor in confusion.

"Mister Black, return to your common room and change into the appropriate uniform," She ordered in a stern tone, "You look ridiculous."

I let loose another short laugh before clapping a hand over my mouth at Sirius' foul glare as he capped his inkwell and picked up his bag. Smiling a little I watched him flip the top of his bag open only to have it slam closed as he reached a hand inside. A little sign appeared across the top of the flap in bright colours.

_It's Halloween and your bag wanted a treat too. Too bad you had to be tricked for it._

His eyes narrowed a little but the corner of his mouth twitched as he turned to face me. He waved his hand which had the bag clamped around it in my face before looking at me with his glare.

"Fix it."

"Sorry, _I'm_ trying to pay attention," I replied in a whisper as I continued my doodle along the top of the page, waiting impatiently for the bell to ring, "Besides, I don't do magic in class when I'm not allowed."

"What a load of bollocks," Sirius growled as he wrestled with the bag attached to his arm, "Stop being a git."

The bell rang and I shot up from my seat, scooping my belongings into my bag and racing out the door before Sirius could utter another word. My escape would have been a clean one to, if it weren't for the group of fangirls that had blockaded the hallway. I pulled up from my run just in time and halted a metre away from the front girl in the group, absently wondering how the group had gathered so fast.

"Morning…" I greeted warily, "Lovely day isn't it?"

The group remained silent as they glared at me across the short distance separating us. I waved my hand in front of the leader's face, looking for some sort of reaction before shrugging and turning the other way and going to walk off. A hand fell on my shoulder and I turned to come face to face with the leader again.

"Did you want something?" I asked politely, gearing up for a quick break as soon as the girl let go enough.

"Just because Sirius is interested in you doesn't mean we're all gonna let you do what you want," the girl said darkly, glaring down her nose at me. I smiled.

"You guys are just jealous that he likes me more than he likes you," I replied with a small shrug, wriggling my shoulder in the girl's grasp, "You guys should have tried playing hard to get years ago."

The girl's grip released as she fell into ranks with all the other girls. _Oh shi-_

"BAIL!" I screamed, sprinting off the other way down the hallway and away from the raging girls. Silently I counted backwards in my head until I heard the clatter of footsteps behind me.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fu-" I chanted before running head-first into an opening door; brilliant.

I clambered up to my feet and made to dart off again when I noticed the person standing in front of me, bag still attached to his arm.

"Sirius! Call off your fangirls, they've gone RABID!" I yelled as I hid behind the teenager, looking back at the swarm that was descending upon us.

"Yeah, I don't think so," he said with a smirk as he crossed his arms awkwardly with his bag hanging from his wrist, "You can solve this yourself like I'll solve my bag problem."

"Oh _come on,_" I yelled exasperatedly, "My charm on your bag isn't a pack of girls willing to kill you!"

"I'm sure they wouldn't kill you," Sirius replied with a laugh before looking at the pack of approaching girls, "Maybe just maim you a little."

"I'd rather not be maimed!" I screeched as I ducked further behind him, "Just saying."

"Say you'll go out with me."

"What?" I asked, surprised by the sudden question, "You can't seriously be saying that right now."

"Saturday?" Sirius enquired good-naturedly, "I'll call them off."

I weighed my options, glancing between the girls that were surrounding us and the smirking Gryffindor. I groaned, figuring out what my better choice was and not liking it much at all.

"I'll give myself up to the girls," I sighed, stepping out from behind Sirius. He stared at me in shock, "This'll be painful."

Closing my eyes, I braced myself for impact when I felt an arm wrapping around my shoulders.

"Yeah, no," Sirius said, "Not accepting that answer."

"You have no choice," I replied, "It's my answer and I choose to give it. Sod off and mind your own business."

"You involved me," Sirius responded lightly, "That makes it my business."

"Yeah, well, I just excluded you from the business. Go away."

"Nope."

"Why d'you have to be such a prick?"

"Why do _you_ have to be such a bitch?"

"How do you know I'm not just PMS-ing?"

Sirius stepped away from me quickly as if he'd been burned and I couldn't help but laugh despite the situation I was in. I wiped an imaginary tear from my eye.

"Gets'em every time," I sighed as I tried to regain control of my breathing, "You should've seen your face! Priceless."

I backed into the circle of girls and yelped, turning to find myself face to face with the leader once more. I glanced over at Sirius and waved a hand over my shoulder.

"Later then Sirius," I called before shoving my way into the group of girls. There was a moment of shock where no one did anything before someone grabbed my shoulder.

_Well that didn't work out as well as I'd planned…_

I was held by three different girls – don't ask me which three they all kind of blended together for me – and faced towards the grand leader. Seriously, this entire situation was just ridiculous. I closed my eyes, waiting for some form of attack when a deep voice sounded over the pack of girls.

"Ladies, ladies, please. Would you mind letting go of my girlfriend."

My eyes snapped open.

"_Excuse me?_"

I went unnoticed.

"But Siri-dear… she was insulting us."

"Yeah, I kinda was," I put in, "I deserve this go away."

There were nods from the surrounding girls.

"Girls, girls, girls, she may have a bit of a short temper, but she probably didn't mean what she said," Sirius tried, taking a step towards the girls.

"I _totally_ meant what I said. It's not my fault they're all delusionally lusting after you," I yelled. Heads snapped my way as the girls registered what I said and I tried to shrug as best as I could.

"Maree, not helping your case here," Sirius called.

"Not trying to."

"Stop being a pain."

"Stop butting in."

"Make me."

"Fine."

I wriggled in the girls grasp. _ Oh right can't move anywhere._ Sirius was laughing.

"Shut up!"

"Not likely," Sirius called through his laughter.

"Y'know what? I'm a horrible girlfriend, you should break up with me and GO THE FUCK AWAY."

"Ah, so you admit that you're my girlfriend."

"Fuck right off Sirius you know I didn't mean it like that," I growled.

"Not my fault you said it," Sirius pointed out, jabbing a finger in my direction.

"Not my fault you're a wanker."

"You did NOT just say that!" A girl shrieked from the crowd. There was a loud cry of agreement as the girl who'd screamed swung her fist at my face. I flinched.

"_Mother fucker!_" I yelled after the fist had collided with my face, "That _hurt_!"

"Shoulda just accepted the date," Sirius interrupted as another girl made a swing. I swear that the impact was twice as strong as it should've been after Sirius' comment; dick.

"I refuse a date and you know it Sirius!" I yelled as a few more girls finally figured out that they actually had magic. There were wands drawn from every direction. _Holy mother of Merlin._

"How 'bout if we just hang out?" Sirius asked, sounding a little desperate, "As friends or something?"

I didn't really think the option needed much considering, what with the prospect of several miscellaneous hexes about to head my way.

"Fine! Fine! I concede to your blasted terms! Just get those sticks of wood away from me!"

"They're called wands Maree," Sirius called calmly as he moved closer to the crowd.

"I know that! I just don't care!"

"Girls, girls, girls, that's quite enough, I think she's learned her lesson."

_Like hell I have._

"But Sirius~"

"I said _enough._"

"That's not fair~"

"Ladies please, there's plenty of Sirius for all of you lovely ladies."

The girls dispersed a little begrudging and swarmed their idol. I rolled my eyes before taking advantage of my opportunity and walking away quietly, spotting my bag on the floor at the other end of the hall. _So THAT'S where I left it._ I scooped up one of the straps and flung it over my shoulder before making a dash for the stairs. I was late enough for class as it was. Alexa would not be amused.


	9. The Flying Incident

**Another short-ish (by my standards anyway) chapter, but at least it's a quick update to make up for my long break in the updating realms. Because I probably won't update again before then (I might though, you never know) on Wednesday it's my birthday. This is exciting for me, being one of the youngest of my closest friends - haha Steph you still have to wait - but other than that it's really not a big deal.**

**Anyway, thanks for all the reviews I received (the five people who reviewed rock and they should all know it) and I'd appreciate more reviews from you! I love to hear feedback (even if it's mean. Mean stuff is good too)**

**Other than that, I should mention that I own nothing except my OCs, all of whom you should know the names of by now. If you don't, you really haven't been paying a significant amount of attention and should really work on that.**

**Okay, on to the story...**

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><p><strong>Chapter 9 – The Flying Incident<strong>

_Meet me by the Black Lake at 12._

I glanced up from the letter to the lake, then back to the letter before checking the watch that Alexa had leant me before reading the letter again. I wasn't entirely sure why I was upholding my bargain with Sirius and actually showing up to this rendezvous. It probably had something to do with the fact that I was somewhat grateful that I had escaped that incident with my face intact, but it was mostly because I was more than a little curious about what rubbish Sirius would have planned for this get-together. My curiosity was fading quickly however as I looked to Alexa's watch to find out that Sirius was now ten minutes late.

My foot began tapping against the grass against my will as I scrunched Sirius' message up into a tiny ball and threw it into the lake before turning on my heel and moving to storm towards the castle. Instead of making my big, dramatic exit however, I ended up running face first into the boy I was waiting for and bouncing back towards the ground. I landed with a small yelp before glaring up at my obstruction.

"You actually came," Sirius marvelled, offering me is left hand.

"Yes, and I actually came _on time _which is more than I can say for you," I grumbled, accepting his hand and letting him pull me to my feet before dusting off my acid-washed jeans, "I was just about to leave when you finally decided to show up."

"Sorry, I got held up by Remus," He apologised with a shrug, "He started the lecture with 'you should be doing your homework instead of flirting' and when he found out that it was you I was hanging out with he finished with 'you better not do anything stupid'."

"He's got a valid point about that," I replied, planting my hands on my hips, "What on Earth did you plan on doing today anyway?"

"Oh, well I was thinking we could just hang out," Sirius said lightly, waving his left hand around in the air, "Get to know each other better and all that."

"Sounds like a decent plan," I responded, shoving my hands into my pockets, "So where are we goi- what's that?"

My eyes had fallen on the long object that Sirius was half-concealing behind his back with his right hand and my jaw had dropped open. Sirius smirked broadly, pulling the broomstick out and showing it to me in all of its glory as he ran a hand over its polished surface. He looked at the object as fondly as a mother would look at her new-born child, almost cradling it in his out-stretched hands.

"It's a Nimbus 1500, the latest model," Sirius explained, a twinge of awe in his voice, "The Marauders got it for me for my birthday."

"That's nice," I said with a small uncertain smile, "But why is it here?"

Sirius looked up at me with a smile, holding the broom down at his side and leaning casually against it. The wind blew his dark hair around a little, making my own ponytail sway as I waited for his response. I brushed one of my loose strands behind my ear and frowned.

"A little owl told me that you were the best flyer in Ravenclaw Tower," Sirius began, his smile growing wider with each word he spoke.

"Whilst this might be true – and I'm not saying it is – I still fail to see how that is relevant," I replied with a small forced laugh.

"I thought maybe we could go for a fly today," Sirius said, leaning away from his broom and moving to stride towards me. My body froze as all the pieces fell into place.

"No thanks, I'll pass," I answered willing my body to move away from the approaching Gryffindor.

I was broken from my shock as Sirius placed a hand on my shoulder and looked into my eyes, a small frown plastered on his face. Brushing his hand from my shoulder, I flushed a little in embarrassment before stepping away hastily and fiddling with the bottom of the Beetles t-shirt that Alexa had given me for my birthday two years ago. I could feel Sirius staring at me in confusion as I avoided his eyes and especially avoided looking at the flying contraption he'd brought.

"I can't Sirius," I apologised, looking up into his eyes pleadingly, "I-I-I'm out of practice. I'd probably fall off of my broom."

"That's why I thought we could share a broom," Sirius laughed, "Besides; one never truly forgets how to fly."

"I really can't do this Sirius," I pleaded, stepping away as he advanced, "I injured myself yesterday and Madam Pomfrey recommended that I steer away from all dangerous activities."

"Since when has that ever stopped anyone?" Sirius enquired lightly with a laugh, "C'mon I'll look after you, there's no need to worry."

I continued to back away from him, fighting the urge to literally push him aside and run up the sloping lawn to the castle. Taking some deep breaths, I revelled in the fresh smell of the trees around me before opening my eyes to see Sirius only a metre away holding the broomstick.

"Sirius, uh, I just remembered that I have to meet up with Alexa, it's desperate," I floundered, drawing blanks on all fronts for excuses.

"Seriously Maree, I'm beginning to think that you're afraid of heights or something," Sirius laughed, pausing in his approach.

"Don't be ridiculous," I replied around my own forced laugh, "Why would I be afraid of heights? I'm just worried I'd be a bother to you, so maybe you can fly around and I can just watch you from here."

"That kinda defeats the purpose," Sirius chuckled, "C'mon Teilor; I'll take care of you."

"I really don't think this is-" I began when Sirius grabbed my wrist and rocketed into the air, fully mounted on the broom with a bright smile perched on his face as I shrieked.

"Don't worry Teilor," Sirius soothed in a shout over the sound of the rushing wind, "I'll look after you."

Sirius swung me up over his broom carelessly as he held it at a hover slightly above the ground. My breathing began to shallow as I felt the wind rushing through my messy ponytail, battering every bare centimetre of my skin as we presumably zoomed through the sky. I pressed myself as close to the Gryffindor as physically possible on the small space the broom allowed as he wrapped his arms around me and took to steering the broomstick around the grounds. I looked straight ahead, frozen with my grip tightening on the handle of the broom.

"Sirius put me down," I commanded quietly, watching the clouds fly by as he weaved through the sky with a careless arrogance. I glanced down at the ground against my will and my eyes snapped shut as I began to tremble slightly against the broom. Images rushed around the back of my eyelids of trees rising around me as I descended backwards in a helpless free-fall.

"Why are your eyes closed Maree?" Sirius yelled from beyond my ear, breaking my imaginations as they began, "You'll miss everything."

"Precisely why they're closed," I shouted back, fighting to stay calm despite the screams that were building in my chest at the feeling of my legs dangling on either side of an unstable piece of wood, "Sirius I've had enough, put me down."

"But this isn't even the best part yet," Sirius assured near my ear as he urged the broom further upwards, "Open your eyes or you'll miss it."

"I think I'd rather keep them closed until my feet are planted firmly on the ground again thank you," I replied scathingly, gripping the wood even tighter beneath my fingers and feeling the tension that my tight grip was causing.

My thoughts were calmer with my eyes closed and I was almost able to pretend that I had some confidence despite being so high up in the air – but all that I had going for me was my fake confidence. The sound of an owl's screech nearby had me almost snapping my eyes open in an instant, but I fought to keep them closed despite my curiosity – damn the inquisitive mind of a Ravenclaw that resided in my head.

In spite of my best efforts, a loud shout from below had me snapping my eyes open and looking around, glimpsing my new surroundings and causing my heart beat to sky-rocket. I could do nothing to fight the scream that slipped from my throat as my feigned confidence crumbled at the sight of the stretch of grass several dozen metres below my dangling feet. Sirius laughed a bit at my reaction as my scream petered out to be replaced by a new one as I saw the trees of the Forbidden Forest below us, followed by the Black Lake. I began to shake uncontrollably on the handle of the broom while tears slipped down my cheeks and onto my now-white hands.

"Sirius, take me down right now!" I shrieked as he swooped low around one of the castle's many towers, "I'm not joking Sirius put me down!"

"Calm down Maree, you'll be fine," Sirius yelled, holding me tighter on the broom, "I've got you."

"I'd rather look after myself, back on the ground!" I screamed, failing to admire the beauty of the sunlight reflecting off of the Black Lake, or the sight of the trees swaying together in the breeze, "Sirius just put me down!"

My trembles increased to full-blown shaking as I caught sight of the people milling on the lawns several dozen metres underneath the broomstick. My vision began to fade as adrenaline coursed through my veins, only serving to increase my wild trembles on the broomstick. I knew tears were falling down my face, but I was beyond the point of trying to reach up and stop their flow from pouring down my face.

"Maree, stop shaking," Sirius yelled from behind me, "You're making it hard to control the broom."

I vaguely noticed that Sirius had moved his hand from my left side for some reason when my vision nearly blacked out entirely and I slipped sideways off of the broom. My mouth widened in a silent scream as my vision cleared and I noticed the castle's walls soaring up at my side as I was sprawling through the harsh winds. My thoughts jumbled as the wind stabbed at my bare skin and vaguely in the distance and growing nearer I could hear a voice shouting my name.

"Maree! I'm coming!"

A scream managed to rip itself from my throat as a hand wrapped around my arm and my body came to a jarring halt. I was swinging helplessly in the air and panting, my eyes darting around wildly, half-expecting to see all of my surroundings darting up around me once more. I could feel myself being swung back up onto the broom, but barely managed to register what was happening until the broom moved in a half circle and moved away from the surface of the lake.

Sirius angled downwards when we reached the edge of the lake before setting me down on solid ground, not making a move as I stepped off of the broom and dodged several metres away. I collapsed onto my knees and ran my hand through the course and slightly damp ground before letting that go and wrapping my hands around my knees. I took several deep breaths to try and calm myself, breathing in through my nose and out of my mouth in long, sparse intervals.

"Maree?" Sirius called out hesitantly from his spot several metres away, "Are you alright? Why didn't you just tell me you were afraid?"

I tried to respond but my voice choked on the sobs that I'd been holding back the entire flight. The salty tears ran into my mouth as they trailed down my face and I hiccupped, rubbing at my eyes with the back of my hand absently and smearing some dirt across my face. Sirius took a small step forward, continuing at a steadier pace when I made no move of objection to his approach.

"Well, I guess you managed to learn something about me today," I hiccupped with a small smile and a light cough, "And I managed to learn something about you; mission success."

Sirius' lips twitched as if he wanted to smile but he was too busy looking concerned for my well-being. I wanted to wave his worries off, it wasn't his fault after all, but the shaking of my body and the steady flow of tears down my face prevented me from making any such move. Sirius stood above me in hesitation, opening and closing his mouth several times as if trying to find the right thing to say.

"Maree I-"

"Sirius Black, step away from her this instant!" An angry voice yelled from somewhere in the direction of the castle. I glimpsed a flash of curly, brown hair between my tears before I noticed my best friend rounding on Sirius with her wand drawn.

Alexa knelt down at my side and wrapped an arm around my shaking shoulders whilst keeping her other hand trained at Sirius, silently daring him to move closer. She pulled me down so that my head was resting on her shoulder as tears streamed freely down my face.

"You better explain yourself well Black," Alexa growled protectively as she squeezed my shoulder, "Or I swear to God that I will hex you into the next century.

"Here I was, out here to make sure Maree doesn't cause any trouble when I see this! What on Earth were you playing at?"

Sirius stared at the angry Ravenclaw in shock for a moment - like the majority of the school, Sirius had never seen Alexa more than mildly irritated but right now she was furious. Alexa shifted her wand in irritation, small blue sparks shooting out of the end whilst I watched helplessly from my spot at her shoulder. I hadn't broken down like this in a long time, and it was taking me a lot longer to get over it then it used to.

"Listen Piper, this is all a misunderstanding-" Sirius began when more sparks flashed out of the end of Alexa's wand and she growled in irritation.

"I saw what was happening Black," Alexa growled, "She was dodging you when you pulled out that damn broom, yet you kept on at her. She looked terrified and you forced her into the air anyway. I've heard about your dating tricks, this was no doubt the 'romantic flight' trick that Carla was always going on about. You probably saw this meeting as a great opportunity to get a one-up on Maree, huh? Someone told you she was terrified of heights didn't they? This is low Black, how _dare_ you do that to her!"

Throughout her accusations Alexa's voice had raised in volume and pitch until she was practically shrieking at the shocked Gryffindor, drawing a crowd around her as the more curious students meandered over from where they had been loitering on the lawn. Towards the end of her little speech, Alexa had left my side to stalk towards the shocked Gryffindor, directing her accusations with furious sweeps of her wand that were punctuated by her angry blue sparks. Sirius snapped out of his stupor as Alexa shot her last comments at him and stood his ground, glaring down at the shorter Ravenclaw.

"Don't be ridiculous," he countered, fingering his wand in his back-pocket, "Why on Earth would I do something like that? You're a Ravenclaw, use your brain and actually think a little bit. If that was my intention, don't you think I would have been a lot worse than I was? Do you honestly think that I would have gone up and checked to see if she was okay if my intention was to upset her from the start? Merlin, you're stupid."

"_Excuse me_?" Alexa breathed, her deathly quiet voice a clear indicator of the rage that was boiling inside of her, "Contradict me if I'm wrong, but were you not the one having a pranking war with my best friend for the last few months? Were you not the one who entered into a bet claiming to be able to gather her affections but have been unsuccessful so far? _Were you not the one who set up this entire meeting in the first place? _So please Black, explain to me where my logic is faulting."

Alexa had drawn her wand away from where it was pointing at the Gryffindor's throat to plant her hands on her hips and hold a glaring contest. I wanted to contradict my best friend and tell her she was wrong - I wanted to stand up for Sirius despite everything - but she was right, her logic was lacking in faults.

"I'll tell you where the fault in your argument lies," Sirius spat back as he glared down his nose at Alexa, "Amongst all of your arguments you fail to acknowledge a simple fact, and that fact is, that despite her pig-headed stubbornness, her arrogance, her cheeky smart-ass mouth – or perhaps in spite of all of these facts – I actually care about Maree Tei-"

Sirius never finished his sentence. At the time Sirius had gone to say my name, Alexa had drawn her fist back and aimed a punch square at his nose, potentially breaking the bone. Alexa shook out her hand as she stepped away, ignoring the general cries of unhappiness from the crowd, and turned to hold her other hand out to my crouched form.

"Come on Maree, I'll get you some hot chocolate and we can calm you down," she said calmly as she wiped the back of her hand on her jeans leg.

I took her offered hand and helped her pull me to my feet. Stumbling a little as I stood on the solid ground, I looked over to Sirius, where he was standing with his hands covering his furiously bleeding nose. Alexa barely even glanced at her handiwork as she steered me away from the scene and towards the castle, shaking the hand she'd punched Sirius with at her side.

"That guy's face is hard," Alexa muttered as we approached the Entrance Hall, "If I ever punch him again I'm wearing gloves."

I choked a laugh between sniffles as my tears eased up and Alexa sent a small soothing smile in my direction.

"Always getting yourself in trouble aren't you Maree?" She said with a small laugh.

"I don't try to," I replied in a shaky voice, "It just happens."

Alexa grinned in my direction as she steered me through the Entrance Hall towards the kitchens. I rubbed my face with the back of my hand before turning to my best friend with a sad look.

"You don't honestly believe what you accused Sirius of do you?" I asked quietly.

Alexa's eyes snapped over to me quickly, pausing in her trek. She turned me to face her so that her hands were on my shoulders and she could look me in the eye.

"I honestly don't know what to believe of him anymore, but I know that I don't trust anyone who would force you on a broom like that," Alexa said slowly, "And I don't think you should either."

"It wasn't entirely his fault," I argued, looking down at the floor, "I could've just told him that I was scared of heights."

"You told him you didn't want to fly, that should have been enough," Alexa responded firmly, standing at my side and wrapping an arm around my shoulders again, "If he won't listen to you, he's not even worth your time."

"I suppose," I agreed wetly, my stomach sinking a little for a reason I couldn't seem to put my finger on, "But he did seem really upset about the whole thing."

"Are you arguing in Sirius' favour?" Alexa asked, blinking at me in polite surprise, "I knew he was having an effect on you but really-"

"Having an effect on me?" I shot back, my defences rising, "As in, you thought I was falling for him? Uh-uh. No way. That's not going to happen Lexie. He's just a player."

Alexa sighed a little bit, and I glared in her direction before she raised her hands in a gesture of surrender and paused at the portrait of a fruit bowl. She reached for the pair and tickled, turning her head to me as she seized the handle and twisted it.

"You know I believe you Maree," she said placatingly, grinning cheekily at me, "I just have to make sure every now and again."

I swatted at her arm, following her into the kitchen and almost completely discarding all thoughts of the flying incident in mere minutes.


	10. Marauder Madness

**Because some of you asked so nicely, and I happened to have a three hour break at uni today, I made an update especially for you. I hope you're happy, because I am. In honour of me reaching my tenth chapter - which is a whole new record for me - I have not only named the chapter after my original edit of this story, but I've also written this chapter from the third person so you can stalk the Marauders for once. :)**

**thanks to all those reviewers and I hope you review again! I really do enjoy hearing from you! Also, thank you for all the early birthday wishes :) You guys are so nice, I'm literally counting down the hours until it rolls over to my birthday here. Not long now guys!**

**Also, I deny ownership of J.K. Rowling's wonderful universe, but I do own my OCs which you should know by now without me having to tell you!**

**Hope you enjoy the new chapter!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 10 – Marauder Madness<strong>

Sirius barged into the Gryffindor common room later that afternoon, dried blood still covering his hands and nose and staining the top of his once-white t-shirt. He stormed across the near-empty room, drawing the eyes of all the loitering students as he stomped his way up the staircase to the boys' dormitory. He wound up the staircase with his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides, digging into his palms a little with the roughness of the action, his mouth set in a scowl.

Slamming open the door to his dorm, Sirius stormed over to the bathroom and threw the door shut behind him, satisfied by the loud bang it made whilst he headed directly for the shower, stripping off of his clothes as he went.

"Pads, you alright?" A voice called through the door, "What happened on your date?"

Sirius growled in the back of his throat as he turned on the faucet, letting the hot water collide with his body in a soothing staccato. He tilted his head back against the wall of the shower, letting out a deep breath of air as he began to relax, revelling in the feel of the scalding water against his skin.

"Pads?" The voice called again and Sirius sighed, turning off the faucet and grabbing a towel, drying off his hair and looking at his reflection in the basin mirror.

"Prongs, can you grab me a change of clothes?" Sirius called to the door, listening to the sound of his friend walking away from its wooden surface as he surveyed his face.

After being punched in the nose, Sirius had gone straight to Madam Pomfrey and she had fixed him up right away with a small laugh. Sirius had, scowling all the while, disappeared from the Hospital Wing as soon as she looked the other way and had stormed his way up to the Gryffindor Tower.

"Pads," James called with a small knock, opening the door a sew centimetres and holding out a bundle of clothes, "What happened?"

Sirius grabbed the clothes and pushed the door closed lightly, getting dressed quickly and opening the door wide to step out. He rubbed at his hair with his towel absently, heading to his bed and sinking onto its comfortable edge. James sat on the edge of the bed next to him, waving a hand in front of his face as he stared blankly. Sirius blinked and looked to his best friend, almost staring straight through him.

"I take it the date didn't end well," James stated, clicking his fingers in front of friend's face as Sirius swatted him away, "Who was the lucky girl you were out with anyway?"

Sirius opened his mouth to respond when the door to the dormitory slammed open again and an angered Remus stepped inside, storming directly over to Sirius' bed and standing in front of him. He pointed an accusing finger at Sirius, before taking a few deep breaths to calm himself.

"What on Earth did you do?" He asked in a quiet voice. Sirius sighed, motioning for him to sit down next to James, and vaguely paying attention when Peter ran across the room and sat on the bed as well.

Sirius ran a hand through his still wet hair, his towel hanging around his shoulders as he ran over the events in his head again. He opened his mouth to explain before closing it and sighing again. Remus crossed his arms impatiently, tapping his foot absently on the ground.

"I was out with Maree," Sirius began but was immediately cut off by James.

"She actually agreed to a date with you?" James cut in, his eyes wide with surprise, leaning forward in his spot to get a good look at Sirius' face.

"I didn't give her much of a choice," Sirius mumbled, before continuing, "Anyway, we'd agreed to meet by the Black Lake cause I thought we could go flying. Y'know, cause Johnson told us she was the best flier in Ravenclaw Tower."

He watched his friends nod around him whilst Remus sat there shaking his head, his forehead situated in the palms of his hands. Sirius took a deep breath, sinking backwards onto his bed and sprawling across it. He groaned at the memory of the whole thing now – Alexa was right on one part, he'd been so stupid to force her up there.

"Turns out," Sirius continued, running a hand through his hair once again, "The reason that we've never seen Maree flying when she's supposedly the best is because she's terrified of heights. So she freaked out and fell off the broom and all the while her curly-haired best friend was watching."

"You're an idiot Sirius," Remus groaned, "Be thankful you only walked away with a broken nose."

Sirius looked up from his spot on the bed to look at Remus, his eyes wide and his mouth dropped open.

"You sound like you're speaking from experience," Sirius commented, eyeing his scarred friend curiously, "How in Merlin's name did you manage to annoy your little Ravenclaw girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend," Remus responded immediately before looking at Sirius directly, "And, no, but I saw her hex the crap out of one guy when he got way too close to Maree for Maree's liking. She's a dangerous one when provoked. That guy ended up in the Hospital wing for two weeks."

Sirius blinked owlishly before groaning and falling back onto his bed and throwing a pillow over his face.

"Well done Pads," James congratulated sarcastically, "You've made an enemy in the form of a psychopathic Ravenclaw who Remus wants to date for some reason."

"We're just friends," Remus insisted, the colour rising in his cheeks, "There's nothing more to it than that."

"Yeah," James replied sarcastically with a roll of his eyes, "Sure. Friends…"

"Shut up Prongs," Remus grumbled, looking away from the group in a huff, "We talk about muggle literature, that's all."

"Uh-huh, right."

"Wait, Remus likes Alexa?" Peter cut-in with a look of confusion on his face, "Since when?"

"Since the first time they locked eyes over a book in the library. It was love at first sight," James said in a dramatic voice, looking far off into the distance and gesticulating more than was strictly necessary, "Just like me and Lily."

"But Lily doesn't like you," Peter squeaked with a tilt of his head, "Or am I missing something there too?"

Despite himself, Sirius laughed from under the pillow and took it off of his face, sending a smirk in Remus' direction as the scarred teenager aimed a pillow at James' head. James ducked the pillow as he flopped onto the floor at Peter's comment, throwing his hands above his head in his dramatics leaving Peter to take the blow from the pillow. Peter squeaked as the pillow collided before picking up another pillow and lobbing it at Remus, falling short entirely and slamming James straight in the face.

James sat bolt upright, holding the pillow and glaring maliciously at Peter before whacking him with the pillow. He sent Peter sprawling across the bed before turning his attention back to Sirius and tossing the pillow carelessly over his shoulder.

"So now that you've got a psychotic Ravenclaw on your tail, what're you gonna do?" James asked casually, leaning against a bedpost and running a hand through his already-messy hair, "I mean, after all the trouble you've gone through for this Teilor girl, is she really worth it?"

Sirius sat up in his bed as he pondered the question, tapping his chin thoughtfully as his brows drew together and his face slipped into a frown. The room lapsed into silence as the Marauders all turned to Sirius to wait for his answer, wondering what on Earth he was really thinking about this entire situation.

"Think about it mate," James said as his hand combed through his hair again, "This is the longest you've ever chased a bird for and you've got nothing to show for it. She barely even treats you like a friend, let alone anything else, so why are you still chasing her?"

The obvious answer for Sirius to say would be 'the bet' and if he'd answered with that like they expected him to, nothing more would have come of the entire situation, but instead Sirius sat in silence as he thought things over. The change in Sirius was noticeable as he came to his answer, his jaw dropped and his shoulders slackened, his entire body losing the motivation to hold itself together in the light of his recent epiphany.

"It's because…" Sirius began, halting as his mental capacity seemed to reach its full usage and his brain ceased to function, "It's because…"

"Because…" Remus prompted, a small smirk on his lips, already knowing the answer as soon as Sirius had come to it.

"It's because she's not just any other bird," Sirius said slowly, thinking his words over carefully, and internally assessing each and every word before it came out of his mouth, "It's because she's so much more than that."

"No way…" James said in shock, sitting on the edge of his bed and looking to his best friend with wide eyes, "Just because she doesn't like you don't make her any different than some of the other birds you've chased. There were plenty of other girls who said they weren't interested in you too, so it's not like she's really any different than them."

"I don't believe it," Remus whispered with a small chuckle, "The great womaniser is whipped."

That comment snapped Sirius from his thoughts and he glared over at Remus, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I am _not_ whipped," Sirius growled, but Remus just laughed as James walked over to Sirius and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Say it isn't so Pads!" James yelled, shaking his best friend by the shoulders, "Please just tell me that you aren't thinking what I think you're thinking."

Sirius swatted James' hands away and scowled at his best friend, running through the thoughts in his head. She'd been the source of the greatest fun that Sirius had experienced over the last few months and slowly he'd found himself drawn to being around her more and more often.

"I don't know Prongs," he replied quietly, "I mean she'd make a great friend. You've seen her pranks; she's a definite Marauderette if there ever was one."

"But you can't actually have fallen for her," James cried out, "That'd be the end of it Pads, you'd be permanently attached and there'd be nothing you could do."

"This coming from the guy who's been chasing the same red-headed Gryffindor since the moment that he saw her," Sirius muttered with a roll of his eyes. He thought over James' comment seriously, searching for some answer hidden within himself.

"Definitely not," Sirius answered with a smirk, "How could I deprive the ladies of their lovely idol just for a fun Ravenclaw? That wouldn't make any sense at all. Sure she's not like the other birds, and she's a potential female Marauder, but taking me off the market? I don't think so."

Whilst Sirius' tone portrayed a picture of finality, his mind was whirling with possibilities that he shoved away. It was impossible after all; one slightly special Ravenclaw was never going to take him off of the market.

James sighed and wrapped his arm around Sirius' shoulder, squeezing slightly before letting go and moving off to his own bed. Remus remained where he had been the entire time, eyeing Sirius warily as James chucked his clothes out of the way to try and find his broom. Remus was sizing Sirius up internally, trying to figure out what was going on but gave up on all attempts when Sirius' confidence reached his eyes again and he scooped his broom up off of the floor, joining his best friend as they moved down the stairs of the dormitory.

"So does Sirius like Maree or not?" Peter asked in confusion as he walked towards his own bed, passing by Remus and pausing.

Remus thought over his answer carefully, considering the answer he should give. On the one hand, he could divulge the truth that Sirius was unable to admit to himself but on the other hand he could persist with Sirius' lie. Sighing, Remus turned to Peter with a calm smile as he stood from James' bed.

"No, no he doesn't," Remus replied, "He's still the same Sirius that we've always known."

Remus strode across the room and stepped out the door, turning back to face Peter with a wry smile as the mousey boy rustled around with his possessions at the end of his bed.

"At least," Remus added quietly, "That's what he's telling himself."

With those final words, Remus swept from the room. Peter had turned at hearing the sound of Remus' voice and was about to ask what the other boy had said when his friend swept away down the stairs and out of sight. He held out a hand as if to call him back but put it down with a sigh and turned back to his own bed, pawing through his strewn possession in search of his last chocolate bar.

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><p>Sirius swooped low over the lawns, the wind whipping his hair back from his face as he breathed in the smell of the trees from the Forbidden Forest. It was truly a beautiful autumn Saturday, a perfect day for flying despite everything. He closed his eyes a little as he swooped towards the milling group of girls that were screaming up at him. He flashed his most charming smile towards the girls and watched as a couple of the younger members of the group swooned from his look.<p>

"Sirius Black!"

Sirius' eyes snapped to the shouting red-head at the back of the group as a sigh was drawn from his lips. He swooped towards her and landed, propping his broom up and leaning against it with a wide smile.

"What can I do for you Evans?" He asked charmingly, his tone portraying his slight curiosity, "Finally conceded that I am, indeed, the finest man to walk the Earth?"

"In your dreams Black," Lily snorted, throwing her nose in the air whilst simultaneously flicking her long hair over her shoulder, "Why would I even begin to believe you were such greatness after what you did to Maree this morning?"

Sirius groaned and ran a hand through his hair, closing his eyes as he let out a deep breath to try and calm himself. He opened his eyes slowly and looked at Lily, a placating smile gracing his features.

"I can assure you that what happened with Maree was entirely unintentional and-"

"Alexa told me what happened," Lily cut-in scathingly, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him, "At first I couldn't believe you would sink so low, and then I thought of every single thing you'd done to Severus and it suddenly became all too believable."

Lily took a step towards Sirius, shortening the distance between them significantly, and tried to look down her nose at him despite him being so much taller than she was. Sirius sighed and raised his free hand up in a gesture of surrender.

"I may not be exceptionally close with Maree," Lily began, poking a finger into Sirius' chest to punctuate her point, "But, despite all of her fallings, I still care about her and I _especially _care about Alexa. Alexa's been one of my close friends here since the first train-ride, not to mention an exceptional study-buddy, and the fact that what you've done has upset her crosses a line Sirius."

"Will you just let me explain?" Sirius interrupted, but Lily would have none of it. She threw her hand up to cut him off again and glared at him.

"You are insensitive and cruel," Lily pointed out, "The way you treat people is unjust and I will not stand for it. You had Maree in hysterics due to your actions today and I suppose you don't even care about that, do you?"

Sirius' stomach dropped as Maree's tear-stained face appeared in his mind and he shook his head to try to clear the image, unfortunately Lily misinterpreted his movements and glared at her fellow Gryffindor in revulsion. She turned on her heel and moved to storm away, shaking her own head in disgust.

"I thought you should know that Maree's been defending you about all of this," Lily called over her shoulder, inflicting as much damage with each word as she could, "But after I tell her this, I'm not sure she will anymore. I really didn't expect you to sink this low Black, I really didn't."

"Evans wait!" Sirius yelled after the retreating prefect, "You're just misunderstanding things!"

Lily refused to turn around as she stalked up the sloping lawns pausing once only a dozen metres away as a figure landed in front of her - the only person who could potentially make things worse right now. Sirius groaned as his best friend stepped away from his landing spot and headed towards Lily with a cocky grin. He ran a hand through his hair and smirked.

"Hey Evans, what are you doing out on the lawns this lovely afternoon?"

"Yelling at your idiot best friend," Lily growled, scowling at the new arrival and trying to duck around him.

"What'd Sirius do this time?" James asked in confusion and Lily stared at him as if he was completely stupid.

"Only terrified a fellow fifth year," Lily replied scathingly, "Which I'm sure you knew about by now."

"Oh, that," James said lightly, rolling his eyes and waving his hand airily, "Accidents happen. How was he supposed to know she was scared of heights anyway? She should have just told him, that way nothing would've happened."

Lily stared at James incredulously before shoving him aside and continuing her angry stride up to the castle, barely even bothering to shoot another glare over her shoulder at the two boys. James looked to Sirius in confusion.

"What was that about?"

"They all think I did this on purpose," Sirius replied with a small shrug as he mounted his broom again, "So it's back to square one with me except now, I have her pack of friends to fend off as well."

Sirius sighed as he rocketed into the air, swooping circles around the castle before diving from a ridiculous height towards the ground. He let the wind carry his frustrations with it, after all, it had been a hard enough road to get her to even mildly like him the first time. The second time was going to be torture.


	11. One Way or Another

**Sorry about the late update guys... After my birthday I had my Grandparents birthday to celebrate - which meant no computer for a couple of days - then I had the most perpetually blah and horrible week ever which I would rather not think about. After that I had my own birthday to properly celebrate and a friend sleeping over :D She's amazing. So it took me a while to find time and motivation to get this done...**

**Quick thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter - special mention to DreamingDementor who managed to make me smile for the rest of that day :) - I hope you guys leave some more reviews! If you have any questions, I can't guarantee I'll answer them, but I'll give it a go.**

**Here's a little competition for y'all to be fun and stuffs. Somewhere hidden in this chapter is a sentence written by the amazing Lexie. The person to figure out where it is (or get the closest to it) gets to have themself cameo in the next chapter. (I'll send you a message if you win and you can send me the details) Also, Lexie and Steph are exempt. Lexie - for the obvious reasons of a) already having a main character in this story and b) being the one who WROTE the sentence. Steph - because I'm pretty sure you were peaking over my shoulder when Lexie sent me the sentence and this is your punishment. MUAHAHAHA!  
>Hint: It's in a transition phase within the chapter.<strong>

**It's thanks to that sentence that I was able to keep the beginning of the story (Which I really liked by the way) and I didn't have to try and re-write the chapter for the umpteenth time.**

**So, yeah that should cover the author's note. I don't own the Harry Potter universe, only my OCs who are totally fun.**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 11 – One Way or Another<strong>

It was a strange sensation to go from being the single most hated member of the female population of Hogwarts, to being the _best friend _of the most hated student of Hogwarts. As it turns out, punching Sirius Black in the face is a far greater offense than being the sole focus of his attention, _particularly_ if punching Sirius in the face resulted in his nose breaking. The fangirls were not pleased with my darling Alexa.

The first few days after the incident had been overly amusing for me, watching Alexa run squealing around corners at the sight of Hogwarts' female occupants – she liked to avoid conflicts when possible – had been absolutely hysterical. It was a nice change not to be the one running myself, so I had indulged a little, but soon the relaxed feeling dulled and eventually a sense of dullness set in.

It had taken me a while to figure out why I was reacting so negatively to the lack of action in my life, I mean it was the life I had been living since I had started at Hogwarts, when one day in mid-November it hit me like a tonne of bricks.

I hadn't been disturbed by Sirius.

In fact, Sirius hadn't been around a lot. After two months of heckling Sirius Black had finally stopped being a bother, and it was making me bored. Without Sirius, I had no target for my pranks, no nuisance to speed up my days of boredom, no irritating Gryffindor to follow me around like a wounded puppy. Don't get me wrong, I didn't _miss _Sirius, I just missed the entertainment his company gave me. It was a gradual realisation, but one day I finally figured out what was going on.

Sirius Black was avoiding me.

This would simply not do, how on Earth was I supposed to get my daily entertainment without a pain in the ass to help me pass the time? It wasn't as if he had conceded the bet, if he had done that I would have gotten ten pretty galleons for my chocolate funds. No, clearly he was just ignoring me for some stupid boy reason and I needed to find a way to get his attention back. It was an obvious decision on what course of action I should take to remedy this matter. I'd make it so that Sirius had no choice but to pay attention to me.

The war would begin again, whether he wanted it to or not.

At least, that was how I planned for this all to work out, and we all know how likely things are to fall into plan. Despite that all I was going to bring this fight. It was time for Sirius Black to learn that whilst I was perfectly capable of ignoring him, he was going to have a hard time ignoring me.

I slung my messenger bag across my shoulders before walking out of the dormitory and closing the door as quietly as possible. Alexa was still fast asleep and I was not going to be the fool that woke her up, especially not if I was the one to be breaking my activities to her. Just to be safe though, I'd left a small note at the foot of her bed for when she woke up – hopefully I'd be on the other side of the castle by the time she read it.

I glanced up and down the stairs before dashing away from the dormitories and across the common room, barely stopping enough to open and close the door as I left Ravenclaw Tower behind entirely. My high pony tail swished behind me as I bounded down the stairs, revelling in the early morning silence that only those with the greatest of early morning skills ever got the chance to indulge in; which simply meant that, only the greatest of prankers or the truly obsessive of students ever saw Hogwarts as it was at six o'clock in the morning.

Shifting my bag on my shoulder, I stepped quickly along the corridor towards the Grand Staircase, fully intending to be one of the first few students at the Great Hall for the morning. If I made it there early enough it would be no trouble to set up the prank I had in mind without much supervision by alert teachers. All teachers, if there were even any up this early, would be dozing over their food in an attempt to enjoy the morning in peace. Not that I was going to let them. If they really had a problem with it, they could blame Sirius.

I jumped the last five steps on the staircase and landed in the sparse Entrance Hall before turning to my left and going to the slightly open double doors. A yawning Hufflepuff ducked in ahead of me, walking straight past the Slytherin and Ravenclaw tables and going to their own as I stopped at my own table, sitting right on the end. Glancing at the Head Table I quickly assessed my company.

Dumbledore was in his spot at the centre of the table, his white hair slightly bedraggled and his face glued to a copy of this morning's Daily Prophet, next to him was Professor McGonagall with her eyes half-lidded as she made an attempt to pour her own coffee before pulling out her wand and waving it at the pot furiously. As soon as her cup was filled with the caffeinated beverage she picked it up from the table, sipping from her cup contentedly as it steamed away in her hands. Further along the table, with his face hovering dangerously over his plate of cereal, was Professor Stevenson – oh if only his fangirls could see him now. The rest of the seats remained decidedly empty at this early hour, but that wasn't likely to last long - even if it was a Saturday.

My left hand reached into my bag, drawing out my 12 inch willow wand before pointing it towards a decidedly innocent looking cloud over the entrance to the Great Hall. I reached into my bag again with my other hand and pulled open a large book, flipping it open to a marked page in the table and following the page's instructions clearly. The cloud over the door, which was initially a stormy grey colour flashed yellow for a moment as a beam of blue light met its centre before returning to the way it had been as I stashed my wand back into my bag and closed the book on the table.

Toast appeared on the plate in front of me and I smiled, grabbing a couple of slices and putting them on my plate before reaching for the butter. I spread the butter generously, giving it enough time for the butter to begin to melt before placing a piece into my mouth and chewing slowly, a small smile gracing my features. A few more students filtered in as the hour passed and I sipped at my pumpkin juice and ate my toast, replenishing my supply when I ran out and chewing slowly to try and draw out the consumption time.

An owl swooped in front of me when the table was nearly full, depositing a Daily Prophet on my plate as I reached into my messenger bag for a single knut, dropping it into the bird's pouch and watching it fly away. As I glanced towards the door I saw a certain group of four Gryffindor boys enter and nearly choked on my toast. I spluttered into the sleeve of my jumper for a minute, barely acknowledging the hand that was patting my back as the cloud at the door of the Great Hall glowed yellow and began to follow the group of boys through the hall.

No-one paid the cloud any attention – trust me I checked – until the boys had settled comfortably around the Gryffindor table and the cloud above them crackled. Remus jumped away from the table as water started to bucket out of the cumulonimbus and onto the grey-eyed Gryffindor, splashing all the nearby students with its spray. Remus' eyes whipped around the hall immediately, but I didn't care for his attention. That wasn't important. The only thing that mattered was getting Sirius to look at me.

I followed his movements intently, my chin resting on my steepled fingers as Sirius turned to Remus and began throwing accusations at his own friend. My smug grin fell and I snatched up my messenger bag, storming from the Great Hall. If that was how he was going to play it then fine, I would play this game.

Stalking from the Great Hall, I turned left at its entrance, heading straight out onto Hogwarts' sloping lawns and breathing in the sharp chilly air that assaulted every part of my bare skin. I shivered briefly before following the path that lead away from the school and heading directly towards the Quidditch Pitch, a small bubbling of frustration building in my stomach. I stopped for a moment and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself – no matter what I could not let Sirius get the better of me. I was only one prank down and I had dozens more up my sleeve, he couldn't ignore me forever.

Opening my eyes after centring myself, I continued my walk to the Quidditch Pitch smiling in anticipation. If my sources were correct – and my sources generally were – the next plan of attack would have to take place here. Honestly, it was such a boy thing to get upset with someone if they messed with their Quidditch, and that was exactly what I intended to do.

It wasn't long after I settled into the stands that the Gryffindor team arrived at the pitch from the castle. I smiled to myself as I caught sight of the dark-haired beater with his arm slung across the equally dark-haired chaser's shoulders. They were laughing about something as one of the older team members began to demand the group's attention. I drew my wand from my bag, tucking it behind my ear as the captain spoke, gesticulating wildly and motioning to the chest at his feet several times.

"What are you doing here Maree?"

I jumped as the hoarse voice sounded near my ear, the person being so close that their breath brushed my neck. I swatted at Remus' shoulder as I turned to face the sandy-haired Gryffindor with an indignant scowl across my face.

"Can't a girl go to a Quidditch training session without having her motives questioned?" I shot at the Gryffindor absently, training my eyes back on the quidditch team, "Sirius' fangirls seem to show up often enough."

"True," Remus conceded as he took the seat next to mine, "But Sirius' fangirls generally don't prank Sirius at breakfast and then show up to his Quidditch training."

"Clearly, that is because they aren't cool enough," I retorted as my eyes followed the team while they shot into the air.

"They also don't usually have their wands visibly on hand," Remus pointed out, "What do you want Maree?"

"The same thing any Ravenclaw wants Remus," I replied as my gaze fell on him and I drew my wand, "To understand."

"Understand what?" Remus asked but I hushed him with a wave of my hand as the team moved into formation to practice.

My wand was trailing the grey-eyed Gryffindor as he circled near his team and watched the balls as they were put into play. He shot off after a rogue bludger, soaring far away from his team mates and my wand moved almost on its own in a figure-eight gesture. Streamers and confetti shot out of the end of Sirius' broom, wrapping tightly around the end and trailing behind him in the air.

Sirius whipped around and glimpsed the end of his broom as a nearby chaser burst out in laughter. The captain of the team looked simply furious, glaring around the stands until his eyes fell on me and Remus, catching sight of the wand in my hand. He began to zoom across the pitch when Sirius soared over to our place in the stands, hovering in front of us with his eyes locked on Remus. He scowled and shook his head, opening his mouth to berate his friend. A flash of anger shot through my veins and I stomped my foot, waving my wand once more and yelling out the first hex that came to my mind before snatching up my messenger bag and storming off of the stands.

The rickety stairs down from the stands creaked in the slight breeze, but I ignored the normally terrifying noise as the fire surged in my eyes, my cheeks burning in my anger. I shrieked out loud as I stopped mid-way down the stairs, clenching my fists against the sides of my face and closing my eyes. I shrieked until my breath ran short and paused to lap up some more air before resuming my angry descent down the stairs. I felt a little better after my outburst but there was still something nagging at the back of my consciousness – if I wasn't interested in Sirius, why was this bothering me so much?

I shook those thoughts away, they were ridiculous, I just missed his company that was all. He was a fun companion, always good as a target for my mischief and to make me laugh with his constant flirting attempts. That was the only reason I was upset about all of this, right? I mean, it wasn't that I didn't like Sirius Black, I just didn't like what a player he was.

He had no right to stop talking to me for no apparent reason. I'd forgiven him for the entire flying incident; I'd even told him so. So there was nothing that was up between us anymore. At least that was what I thought until he'd stopped talking to me.

I clenched my wand tighter in my hand, shooting off angry bronze sparks as I fought to control my breathing once more. It was hard, trying to reign in the raging anger in my veins but eventually I managed and surged forward in a slightly more jagged walk then before when an idea struck me. I stopped again and turned back to face the stadium. I smiled, crossing my arms over my chest and then sat cross-legged in the middle of the path back to the castle.

It wasn't long after I had taken up my position that Remus strolled out of the stadium, looking around himself quickly before locking his eyes on me and moving with a more purposeful stride. He stopped a metre away from me and crossed his own arms, looking down at my tense form with a small sigh.

"What are you doing now Maree?" Remus asked lightly, his face a mask of concern.

"Same thing I was doing before Remus," I replied with a light shrug, "Trying to understand."

"Maybe I could hel-"

"No," I cut-in glancing up at Remus lightly, "This is something I need to learn for myself."

Remus sighed, glancing over his shoulder at the stadium where his friends were training with a sad look. It would be over an hour until they finished with their training and I was fully prepared to wait every single one of those moments just so I could get this over with. I flipped open my messenger bag and pulled out a small, leather-bound book, flicking through the pages until I got to my mark and reading from about half-way down.

"Is that 'The Three Musketeers'?" Remus asked curiously from just over my shoulder, I looked up quickly and blinked owlishly, watching as he stretched out on the path beside me.

"Alexa lent it to me," I replied, watching the Gryffindor stare curiously at the page over my shoulder, "She said that if I wasn't bothered reading the school texts then I should at least do something decent with my time."

Remus laughed a little, throwing his head back and shaking his sandy-hair about lightly. I smiled a little myself, thinking of the sour face Alexa had possessed when handing the book over.

I turned my attention back to the weathered pages and read on quietly, following the adventures of D'Artagnan with an avid interest and chewing through the pages as if they were completely insubstantial; the words flowing together to create a beautiful world that seemed to invite the reader to imagine and enjoy. I barely focused on the wind flipping my ponytail, or the way that my loose jumper slid down my shoulder to reveal my pale t-shirt, what I did focus on were the sounds of the Gryffindor Quidditch team as they came marching from the stadium at the conclusion of their practice.

Marking my page, I tucked Alexa's book back into my messenger bag and reclaimed my wand, standing to face the boys as they all moved out of the building. The team captain sent me an aggravated frown, but his attention didn't matter, there was only one team member I was looking for.

Sirius was one of the last people out of the stadium, his arms folded behind his head casually as he upheld a conversation with his best friend. I stood in the centre of the path back to Hogwarts, fully intending to cut off their trip back to the castle, my arms folded across my chest and my wand clutched tightly in my right hand. My eyes were narrowed directly in Sirius' direction, my body set in anger. I opened my mouth wide drawing in a breath to call out to the ignorant boy when he stepped to one side of my obstruction, James moving to the other, before continuing up to the castle.

My breath caught in a choke and my eyes widened, and finally I snapped entirely.

"Black!" I shrieked after the retreating boys. James hesitated a bit to turn and look at me curiously but Sirius continued on his way.

"Black, I'm talking to you!" I screeched, only to be ignored once more. I saw Remus moving from my side out of the corner of my eye, but I had my wand drawn, and there was only one person whose attention I wanted.

I yelled out a body-bind jinx only for Sirius to deflect it casually and turn his attention to Remus, scolding him gently as if he had been the one in charge of the action. I stood frozen, my wand clutched uselessly in my hand as Sirius disappeared up to the castle, his two friends following after him. It was useless. Everything I'd done meant nothing. He wanted nothing to do with me. He refused to even look in my direction, and I didn't even know why.

"Maree, I've been looking for you all over," Alexa heaved as she jogged across the lawn to reach my side. She stopped when she reached me and took a few long shuddering breaths before looking up into my face.

"Maree what's wrong? What happened?" Alexa asked quickly, her eyes looking into mine searchingly and her hand falling onto my shoulder. Rational thought seemed to come back to me in that one moment and I threw her hand off as I sprinted across the lawns towards the castle, bursting into the Entrance Hall and catching sight of a group of three Gryffindors as they headed up the marble staircase.

"Sirius Black!" I screamed paying no heed to the swarms of students that would be loitering nearby at this time of day; after all, it was very nearly the afternoon on a Saturday. I stood in the centre of the Entrance Hall, staring up the staircase at the three boys and heaving in breath. Two of the three boys had turned to stare at me, but my eyes searched for neither of them – my eyes only sought the boy who was paused in their centre.

"Sirius just look at me!" I yelled, my voice echoing off the walls surrounding me, "Please, just look at me!"

I barely noticed the tears streaming down my face as I stared up those stairs, feeling the minutes draw past with him standing there silently. I took a single step forward across the Entrance Hall, before my knees buckled and I shot towards the floor, a wet laugh breaking my throat.

"I always thought you'd be eternally chasing me," I joked, "Funny thing is, I have no idea what I did wrong. Just look at me once, please."

My voice trailed off into a whisper as the sobs overtook my body and my head looked towards the floor. The room was silent around me, the quiet breathing of everyone the only sound that could be heard. I heard a single footstep up on the stairs before I closed my eyes and pressed the palms of my hands onto my face.

"Sirius," a quiet voice said incredulously, "Don't."

The footsteps continued and I scrunched my fingers against my face, my mind whirling in circles as I tried to comprehend what was happening. Why was I so upset? I mean, I always knew I was nothing to him, only the Ravenclaw girl who he was trying to best in a bet. I didn't like him like that, I barely liked him as a friend. Why was I crying because he wouldn't look at me? Why was I flooding my mouth with the taste of these salty tears as I fought to breathe?

_Maree Teilor is a smart, talented, fun, beautiful, stubborn, wonderful witch. She's all of those things but she sure as__hell__isn't easy._

_I actually care about Maree Tei-_

Sirius' voice echoed in my head and the tears fell harder because I realised I had actually been stupid enough to believe what he'd said. I'd actually listened to his ridiculous flirting and believed him. I couldn't believe I'd been so stupid.

"Who does she think she is?"

"Clearly she's nothing special to Sirius."

"I haven't seen a girl reacting this badly to a rejection from him since that girl in his third year."

"Clearly she's nothing special."

"She should figure that out already and get over it."

"Who does she think she is?"

"Sirius wouldn't pay her any more attention than he did for the rest of us."

Their voices all melded together in my head, swirling around each other in a hate-filled vortex and all the while I couldn't help but find myself silently agreeing with them. After all, I was nothing special, I'd just been discarded like every other girl because I was too difficult. That was it. Sirius didn't think anything of m-

"You're all wrong."

My eyes snapped up to the stairs where Remus and James stood, James looking torn between coming down to me and running after his best friend. Remus was glaring around the room at all the loitering girls. He crossed his arms over his chest as he took a single step down the stairs towards the Entrance Hall.

"You have no idea how much more important Maree is to Sirius than any of you other girls," Remus growled, his eyes narrowing defensively, "None of you have any idea what's going on. None of you understand at all, so just back off."

"This girl right here is the first girl I've ever heard Sirius talk of as more than another face in the crowd," James put in, smiling a little in my direction, "He even called her a potential female Marauder."

"So anyone with a problem with her should take it directly to us," Remus said loudly, meeting the eyes of each of the girls in the room individually.

"After all, we Marauders stand together," James finished with a shrug.

If it hadn't been for James backing up every single thing Remus had been saying, I probably wouldn't have believed it. As it is, I was still having trouble accepting what they'd just said. Everyone knew that, despite all the pranks and Slytherin hate, James was really a nice guy to all and Remus was my friend. Remus sent me a small smile as James turned on the staircase and bolted after his friend. The tears were still running down my face though, and all I really wanted was to hear those words from Sirius himself.


	12. No Good Deed

**Third times a charm...**

**Sup guys?**

**Here's an abridged version of my opening greeting before it messes up again on my dodgy computer/interwebs:**

**Story is fast-tracked, didn't want reviewer to "die of anticipation"**

**The above is not really true, I was planning to write this quickly any way, it just helped.**

**Thanks for reviewing! Finally reached 60 reviews and that makes me smile and feel loved and want to write more.**

**Do not own Harry Potter universe.**

**Do own OCs. They are mine.**

**Chapter title is a Wicked reference, and no I don't own Wicked either.**

**Also, the sentence written by Lexie in the last chapter was "It was time for Sirius Black to learn that whilst I was perfectly capable of ignoring him, he was going to have a hard time ignoring me."**

**Since only one person guessed - seriously guys? - they win! Hooray! You're fun, I like you DreamingDementor and we shall correspond about your cameo.  
><strong>

**... that's about it.**

**Let's read on shall we?**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12 – No Good Deed<strong>

Remus hesitated on the Grand Staircase as James ran off, looking between me and the upper floors in deliberation. He sighed, walking down the stairs and grabbing me by the arm, helping me to my feet and offering me a handkerchief from his jeans' pocket. He leaned in next to my ear as he handed it over and whispered in a voice I was barely able to hear.

"If you really wanna know, ask Alexa."

Remus pulled away and turned to the stairs, leaving me standing in the middle of the Entrance Hall clasping a handkerchief in my wet fist. My eyes were wide and my mouth hanging slack before I clenched my teeth and turned on my heel. I stormed from the castle, vaguely aware of a loud, authoritative voice yelling after me. I paid those people no heed, stomping my feet as I walked across the lawns in the direction from which I had come.

"Maree-" A curly-haired figure in the distance called in greeting, waving her hand at me but I cut her off with my own shout, stopping several metres away and planting my feet firmly on the path.

"Alexa Madeline Piper, what did you _do_?"

Alexa stopped in her tracks, shooting me a confused look and tilting her head to the side slightly. I heard some of the crowd from the Entrance Hall flooding out onto the lawns in search of more drama to watch, but I wanted none of their rubbish right now. I was more focused on the girl positioned in front of me.

"What do you mean?" Alexa asked as she took a single step forward, taking another when I didn't object, "Maree, what are you talking about?"

"What do you think I'm talking about?" I shrieked in frustration, clenching my fists tightly at my sides, "What part of my life have you butted into that I might be upset about? What conceivable avenue could you have undertaken that I would be so furious with you? Come on Alexa, you have a brain, nut it out for me."

Alexa stood gobsmacked as the slight wind blew across the lawns of Hogwarts, picking up leaves and scattering them in its wake. The crowd around us watched in silence, their faces flicking back and forth between us Ravenclaws in anticipation. The silence was drawn out as Alexa shook her head with a long breath out, looking me in the eye.

"Think this through Maree," Alexa said with a glance around, "Do you really want to do this here? In front of all of these people?"

"What did you do?" I growled dangerously, my eyes narrowing and my nails cutting into my palms as I clenched them slightly too tight. Alexa sighed, avoiding my eyes and shoving her hands deep into her own jeans' pockets. She kicked a tuft of grass on the ground before squaring her shoulders and looking me directly in the eye.

"I told him that I didn't want to see him have anything to do with you ever again," Alexa replied, her face set into a determined gaze, "I told him that if I saw him near you again then I would make sure that he could never have anything to do with any girl again."

I froze, taken aback by what she'd admitted. Although Remus had pointed the finger Alexa's way, there was a part of me that didn't honestly expect her to have anything to do with it and yet here she was, in her light-blue jeans and sapphire-blue, woollen jumper, admitting to having threatened Sirius as if it meant nothing to her. She ran a hand through her hair as her other hand fingered the crucifix that hung on a thin silver chain around her neck, watching me with worried eyes.

"Why Lexie?" I asked in a voice barely above a whisper, hardly able to take a single breath into my failing respiratory system, "Why would you do that?"

"Because he hurt you Maree," She said calmly, a worried tone pervading her casual atmosphere as she met my eyes directly, "He hurt you and it was all I could do to stop myself from pulverising the guy. He claims to like you, he nearly did it to my face, but he knows nothing about you Maree, absolutely nothing!"

"But I was winning the bet Lexie, I would never have fallen for him," I yelled back at her, my face drawing into a frown, "I would have never fallen for him after a stunt like that. Why would you interfere?"

"Because, Maree Annabel Teilor, I don't give a rat's arse about your stupid bet," Alexa shot back in a growl, her eyes narrowing minutely, "The only thing I care about is you!"

That stopped me for a moment, my initial anger had quickly faded but now it was rearing its head under the surface. A small part of me was arguing that she was just trying to be a decent friend but a larger, more demanding part was crying for blood, or at the very least recompense. I marched across the small distance between Alexa and I and aimed a slap at her face, watching with a small amount of satisfaction as her head swung around. It was at that point that Alexa noticed the tears in my eyes.

"Maree-"

"How _dare_ you?" I demanded, my hand dropping to my side and re-forming its fist, "Who gave you the right to decide what was good for me and what was not? What did you think would come of you keeping him away from me? Did you think, in some deep, dark, stupid corner of your mind, that I would be _happy _about this?"

"That's not fair Maree," Alexa berated in a disapproving tone, tilting her head to the side and fixing her glasses, "I was only trying to help. He hurt you-"

"And I forgave him, was that not good enough for you?" I cut-in, glaring down at my best friend, "I didn't mind. It was my own fault anyway so I forgave him."

"You shouldn't have," Alexa growled, taking her own step forward and forcing me back a little, "You shouldn't have forgiven him because he didn't deserve it. He still doesn't deserve it, and yet he still has it. That's your problem Maree; you're so used to being alone you don't know how to appropriately react to these sorts of situations."

My eyes narrowed dangerously and I took up my ground as Alexa clapped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes had widened in horror the minute the words had left her mouth, but it was too late and she couldn't take them back now.

"If we're looking at family life now Alexa, why don't we look at yours?" I growled back, barely audible to our little audience, "You're so used to everything being out of your control that you try to have as much control over everyone around you. I may be left alone in my family's mansion all the time, and I may be unwanted, but at least my family didn't turn on me because I was a witch."

Alexa's mouth dropped open and I watched with a twisted satisfaction as the tears welled up in her eyes, her hand clutching tightly at the cross around her neck as if it were a life-line. I remembered her telling me about it once; it was the last present she had been given before her parents turned on her. I knew I'd crossed a line, just as she knew she had crossed a line for me, but unlike her, I wasn't about to take mine back. With all she had inflicted on me, I just wanted to fling something back in her face in response; that didn't mean I wasn't going to regret it.

Alexa's hand flew to her wand in a matter of seconds when the teachers finally interrupted our confrontation, McGonagall moving to my side and Stevenson moving to Alexa's. McGonagall glared at both of us reprovingly, but my lip still curled with a sadistic pleasure at my curly-haired roommate's distress.

"Miss Teilor, Miss Piper, that is quite enough," Professor McGonagall said in an authoritative tone and my eyes flicked in her direction, "20 house points from each of you for this abhorrent display and another 20 from you Miss Teilor for your actions in the Entrance Hall. I suggest you girls both cease before I am forced to give you detention."

Alexa sheathed her wand and stormed away, rubbing her hand absently across her face to try to rid it of the tears. I watched her go, following her bouncing corkscrew curls as she disappeared across the lawn and vaguely noticing as the crowd that had surrounded us began to disperse, the professors shepherding them away from the scene. I could feel wetness on my cheeks and reached up to touch the wet spots. I drew my hand away and stared at the glistening substance that was remaining on my fingertips as I choked a sob – oh great, I was crying yet again. Today was clearly not turning out to be the good day I had hoped it would be.

My eyes were drawn to the sky, watching the clouds float overhead as the tears fell onto my once dry t-shirt – it was long since completely wet now and there was no way I was going back to the castle right now. I looked around, finding the lawn almost completely empty, before walking over to the Black Lake and sinking down at its edge. Resting my chin on my knees, I stared out across the nearly still expanse and let the tears fall – might as well get these feelings out of my system before I return and have to face them all.

I picked up a nearby rock and threw it at the surface, shattering the calm and leaving ripples cascading out to the banks. As soon as the ripples began to die down I picked up another rock and threw that at the surface as well and watched the ripples go. I tried skipping a rock, but gave up on that effort when the rock simply sunk beneath the surface like all the others. That didn't matter, anything to get my mind off of the pain in my chest. But it wouldn't stop.

Burying my face in my knees, I circled my arms around them, holding my body together tight to try and stop it falling apart. A small part of me was aware that the afternoon was passing and eventually night would fall and I would be sitting in the cold, night air – that was the coherent logical part of me that I tend not to listen to very often – but a larger part realised that I couldn't really care less if I sat out here to freeze. Damn you teenage hormones. Damn you.

It was starting to get dark out before the logical, coherent part of my brain started to seem like it was making a lot of sense. I stood slowly, stretching out my aching limbs as my stomach grumbled and I realised that a mandatory stop in the kitchen was required before I headed back up to the common room. My walk back to the castle was slow and jagged, each step being dragged out after the next in a glaringly slow pace. It was hard enough to bring myself to move knowing that I would have to face people again – I guess my time out of the spotlight was over once more.

I reached to my side absently to pick up my messenger bag only to find that my bag wasn't there. My eyes widened frantically and I looked around in a panic, trying to see the blue canvas bag splayed out somewhere in the dirt. I turned in circles, searching frantically before my breath began to quicken in a panic. It wasn't that there was anything particularly special about the bag or its contents; it was just that after everything else that had happened today I didn't need to lose my possessions as well.

I began to move towards the castle, my pace quickening with each step so that I was nearly sprinting across the lawns by the time I reached the wooden double-doors that lead into the Entrance Hall. Pushing them wide, my eyes scoured the floor frantically trying to catch sight of the bag lying across the marble – even if the contents were completely ruffled I wouldn't mind, I just wanted my bag back. I looked around, the doors flung wide to either side of me as I panted and leaned against them, nearly choking a sob when I didn't initially find my bag. Something blue caught my eye behind the Gryffindor hourglass and I turned, spying my bag propped up neatly against it. I sighed in relief and scooped it up, letting the doors close behind me as I headed off towards the kitchens from the hall.

As I entered the passage, I suddenly changed my mind and turned back to the marble staircase, trudging up the staircase in the direction of Ravenclaw Tower. It was a long trip, longer than it usually is when I'm walking alone – perhaps that had something to do with the fact that I was walking like a woman condemned to death, really it was almost as if I was a woman condemned to death. Should I, by chance, run into Alexa again I was likely to end up in severe pain and shipped straight to the Hospital Wing. I couldn't say I would really blame her. I had struck a low blow, but she'd started it.

I turned off of the main staircase and headed to the spiral staircase, going slower with each step as if to make up for the time gained by my sprint across the lawn. Stopping in front of the eagle doorknocker I gathered myself, knocking a few times before answering the riddle with ease – people could say what they wanted about me, but I had a gift for the doorknocker's riddles.

The room seemed to lapse into silence as I entered and I took a moment to glance into a window as I passed on the way up to my dormitory. I stopped and sighed, taking in my messed-up ponytail – if one could even really call it a ponytail anymore – red-eyes and bedraggled t-shirt, not to mention the tear streaks on my face. I looked a right sight, every bit the upset and dejected teenager that I felt like, and that wasn't even the main reason that a lot of the people were staring; but it certainly helped.

Letting out a deep breath, I continued on my walk, watching the younger students part to allow me through, before disappearing up the stairs to the dormitory and catching the end of conversations starting up again. The fifth year girls dormitory was near the top, so it took me a while, but when I finally pushed the door open I was assaulted by a flash of curly-hair.

Oh shit, I'm done for.

I closed my eyes and braced myself for the impact when a pair of arms snaked their way around my shoulders and a face pressed itself into my shoulder. My eyes snapped open and I looked down, worried that I'd accidently walked into the wrong room or I'd entered into an alternate universe – hey, it was Hogwarts, _anything _was possible.

"Alexa?" I enquired in confusion, going to hold the curly-haired girl at a distance, "Um… are you alright?"

I wasn't sure what I was honestly supposed to say, but I figured that was a good start. It was only a few hours ago that I had yelled at her in front of a great crowd of people and insulted her family, yet here she was hugging me again as if I hadn't done anything wrong – something was definitely up. I held the red-eyed Ravenclaw at a distance and looked at her as she sent me a purely apologetic look – wait, what?

"What happened?" I asked and that was when I caught sight of the majestic snowy owl, a piece of parchment tied to its leg.

It was preening its sparkling white feathers when I caught sight of it when, almost as if it could sense my vision, it jumped from its perch and swooped across to me, landing on Alexa's shoulder and holding out its leg with the parchment attached. I simply blinked at the owl before turning back towards the door and going to walk back out of it. The owl hooted dolefully before swooping the short distance between us and landing on my head. I glared upwards, pausing in my escape.

"Socrates, I hate you," I grumbled before reaching up and taking its letter, "What on earth could they possibly want this time?"

The owl tilted its head to the side before swooping off of my head and landing back on my bed, staring at me expectantly - stupid animal having above-average in intelligence. I slit the wax seal on the parchment and unfurled the letter, giving it a cursory glance before throwing it over my shoulder and crossing my arms petulantly.

"Maree-"Alexa began but I cut her off with a small wave of the hand.

"No big deal, just some family problems, nothing to worry about," I assured sending her a small smile, "You don't have to forgive me if you don't want to y'know. I said some nasty things."

"D'you honestly think I would be talking to you if I didn't want to forgive you?" Alexa asked with a small scoff, throwing her head in the air and trying not to smile, "What do you take me for? A Hufflepuff?"

"Some days," I responded lightly with a shrug, "I'm sorry y'know, about earlier."

"Yeah, me too," Alexa said, looking me directly in the eye – as much as she could considering she had the lens of the glasses in her road, "But what kind of friends would we be if we didn't fight every now and then."

"Probably a right side more sane ones that's for sure," I said with a shrug and Alexa laughed.

"Yeah, like you could pull off sane," she pointed out.

"I could if I tried."

"I'd like to see that."

"Maybe one day you will."

"I highly doubt it."

We stopped and looked at each other before cracking a smile and nearly doubling over in laughter – Alexa did double over. We stood like that for a few minutes, before just stopping and smiling at each other. Alexa sighed when she got a good look at my appearance.

"You look like a homeless person," she commented, glancing at my bedraggled clothes and wispy hair, "Probably wish you were one right now too right?"

"Let's not even go there. I'd rather enjoy my last few weeks before Christmas break," I said lightly, shrugging and shoving my hands deep into my pockets. Alexa smiled, linking her arm through mine and carting me over towards the beds.

"I think we can manage that," she said with a cheeky grin before we both laughed together again. At least, right now, something was going right.


	13. Chocolate Over Flowers

**Greetings readers,**

**I hope you all have a lovely Easter, I go away tomorrow for mine, and enjoy your breaks from school or work or whatever. I know this chapter wasn't as quick as some of the others, but I had a bio essay draft that was due and I'm sure you can all appreciate the precedence that took over my fanfiction - absolutely none but I had to make it look like it did.**

**Anyways, thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter, you guys made me smile particularly Mareeweasley7 who allegedly had a spaz attack. I appreciate that. I really do. I'm just as bad over a lot of my favourite fics, trust me. I only just read my little sister the last two chapters and the bit between Sirius and Maree in the Entrance Hall in chapter 11 made her cry, which also makes me smile cause then I know I wrote it well. I love to hear from you guys, so keep bringing your thoughts forward :D**

**Whilst I have great joy in borrowing the world, I do not own the Harry Potter universe, but I do own my awesome OCs that you all should know and love by now.**

**So, enjoy the new chapter and I'll try to get another one out to you soon.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 13 – Chocolate Over Flowers<strong>

A tapping on the window of the fifth-year girl's dormitory in Ravenclaw Tower broke the silence early one Monday morning in late November. I groaned and rolled over on my sheets, adjusting my blankets accordingly as I reached with one hand for my pillow before slamming it over my ears. I sighed as the pillow muffled the noise of the incessant tapping, letting me relax as I curled back up and began to doze again. In a sudden gust of air from between my hangings, my pillow was lifted from my head and sent scattering to the floor. I glared through the gap the wind had created in my hangings to the sleepy form of my best friend as she rolled over with a small muttering under her breath.

I rolled over and closed my eyes tightly, pulling my blanket up so that it covered my ears whilst still keeping me warm. I was about to nod off again when the blanket was suddenly yanked from my grasp and sent rocketing to the floor on top of my discarded pillow. I sat up quickly, looking down at my pile of discarded bedding forlornly before glaring at my best friend as she stashed her wand back beneath her pillow. As I went to lie down on my mattress and curl up into my sheets I heard her sigh.

"Maree, get the damn bird."

"I'd rather not, tell it to sod off," I grumbled back as I laid back down on the soft mattress and closed my eyes, "I don't care for whatever it's carrying."

"Do you want to wake up everyone else and have Carla lecture you again?" Alexa asked tiredly as she sat up with a stretch, pulling her bed-hangings wide as my eyes shot open. I scrambled up from my bed and pulled the hangings wide, almost ripping them as I dashed for the window and unlatched it.

One of the school's many barn owls swooped in through the opening and alighted on my bed, dropping its package onto the sheets and hooting dolefully. I glared at the gift, narrowing my eyes so that they were almost slits in hopes that my rage would burn up the stupid present. The owl hooted again, tilting its head to the side and looking up at me hopefully. I turned my gaze to it and crossed my arms.

"Uh-uh birdie," I said darkly with a shake of my head, "Don't even think I'm gonna get you a treat after delivering _that_. Go back to the one that sent you and demand a treat from him."

I turned on my heel and left the present there, rummaging through my trunk for some clothes before withdrawing my uniform and heading for the bathroom. Alexa sighed behind me and I heard her rummaging through her own trunk as the owl continued to hoot on my bed. I closed the door to the bathroom behind me and leaned against the door with a drawn out sigh as I ran my hand through my messy, brown hair.

Every day since I had been left crying in the Entrance Hall by the infamous Gryffindor playboy I had received a rose and a note. At first I'd received a rose at breakfast but after I had stood on top of the Ravenclaw table – a fond habit of mine – smiled brightly and ripped the note to shreds as well as snapping the rose's stem and crushing the petals – a move that had earned me a detention from my Head of House – the roses had been delivered to my dorm room first thing in the morning; not that delivering the notes to my dorm room made any difference, my reaction to the gifts were still the same. Carla adamantly disapproved of my treatment of her favourite Gryffindor and had spent several hours one morning lecturing me about it, but I couldn't care less. There was no way, not even if the castle was destroyed and I had no choice, that I would be forgiving Sirius Black this easily.

A light tapping on the bathroom door got my attention and I sighed, getting off of the polished wood and cracking the door open a little bit, looking into the bleary, blue eyes of my best friend. She smiled at me and held up the red rose that the owl had brought.

"What do you want me to do with it? Carla'll wake up soon so you should really get rid of it before that happens," Alexa asked, twirling the rose in her fingers, "Unless you don't intend to get rid of it today…"

"Throw it out the window," I grumbled, glaring at the offending object before closing the bathroom door, "I don't even want to look at it."

Alexa sighed on the other side of the door before I heard her light footsteps moving away. I stripped off my pyjamas, leaving them with my uniform in a dry corner of the bathroom as I went about my morning shower. I sighed contentedly as the steaming water made contact with my body, washing myself carefully and taking my dear sweet time about it when I heard a sharp knock on the other side of the door.

"Contrary to popular belief Maree, the rest of us would love a chance to use the bathroom this morning too!" Alexa shouted, banging playfully on the wood. I snorted into the stream of water before switching off the faucets and grabbing my towel, drying myself off quickly before getting dressed and moving to the door, my hair dripping steadily down my back.

I pulled the door wide and stepped out, my pyjamas and towel all scattered across the bathroom floor, before moving to my bedside table and snatching up my wand. I performed a quick drying charm on my hair and back before reaching for my hair brush. I heard the click of the door to the bathroom as Alexa entered before running the brush through my hair to rid it of the knots. I was just about finished when Carla skipped across the dorm in her fuzzy pink slippers and took up a position on Alexa's bed so she could look at me directly.

"Morning Carla," I said slowly, unsure of the reason for her attention and wary of her as I was all morning people. I would never understand anyone with the ability to wake up and be perky first thing in the morning.

"So…" Carla began with a grin, "Did he not send you a rose this morning?"

Of course she was only interested in what Sirius was doing. That was the head of the Ravenclaw branch of the Sirius Black fanclub for you.

"Well, if Alexa did what I told her to do with it, it should be somewhere on the ground beneath our dorm window," I replied brightly with a smile, finishing with my hairbrush and placing it back on my bedside table so I could pull my hair up into a messy ponytail, "I don't care much for roses, especially not when they're being sent by assholes."

My smile never faltered as Carla's mouth dropped open and I began to quickly scoop all the necessary books into my bag. I picked up my wand and stashed that in my bag too before placing the blue canvas on my shoulder and sending a quick wave in Carla's direction. Alexa could catch up with me later; I was escaping before verbal capability returned to our resident Ravenclaw prefect.

I sped out of our dormitory door and closed it behind me, stopping when I reached the Ravenclaw common room to straighten my tie and smooth down my skirt. Hitching my bag up on my shoulder, I walked calmly across the common room and out of Ravenclaw Tower altogether, descending the spiral staircase and heading away from the blue surroundings.

The halls of Hogwarts were beginning to fill with students as they all arose for another day of learning within the majestic castle. I blended into the crowd that was heading down from further up the school towards the Great Hall, noticing Grace in amongst their ranks. She sent a tired wave my way and I cut through to stand by her side, sending a small wave to the bright-eyed Lily Evans – yuck, morning people.

As we entered the Great Hall, I slipped off to the Ravenclaw table and sat somewhere around the middle, next to several members of the Ravenclaw quidditch team. They had their heads bowed together as they talked tactics for their next game of the season as I watched the doors in anticipation of my curly-haired best friend. I reached out absently for a piece of toast and nearly sent my goblet of pumpkin juice flying, causing me to flush as I caught it and reached properly for the toast.

Setting a couple of pieces on my plate and buttering them, I glanced back up at the door to see a group of four Gryffindor boys entering, one sending a searching look down the Ravenclaw table. As his eyes fell on me, I rolled my eyes and looked away, munching on one of my buttered pieces of bread.

"So when are you planning to forgive the poor little Gryffindor?"

I jumped as Alexa took the seat opposite me and grabbed some fruit to put on her plate before taking a bite. Sighing, I took another bite out of my toast before setting it down on my plate.

"I'll forgive the 'poor little Gryffindor' when I feel so inclined," I replied evenly, taking a sip of my pumpkin juice before setting the goblet back on the table and smiling at Alexa, "And right now I do not feel inclined to be forgiving. He did, kinda, leave me crying in the Entrance Hall."

"He was, kinda, threatened to do so," Alexa pointed out, mimicking my tone, "And you forgave the person who threatened him when she made you cry too."

"But she's practically family," I pointed out, "And she was only looking out for her best friend."

"And he left you alone because your friends would maul him if he didn't," Alexa argued, "C'mon Maree, you gotta be fair about this."

"No, no I really don't think I do," I said shaking my head and leaving my food, grabbing an apple in one hand and my messenger bag in another, "I'm going to Transfiguration, you coming?"

Alexa sighed and dropped her food, picking up her own bag and getting up opposite me, walking parallel along the table before joining me and heading out of the Great Hall at my side. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose with a small sigh as we walked up the Grand Staircase and I glanced down at her. She continued to walk for a while before letting out another sigh and I twitched. When she sighed for a third time upon entering our Transfiguration classroom I looked at her fully.

"What?"

"I left some of my stuff back in the dorm and I kinda don't wanna go back and get it," Alexa groaned, running a hand through her curls.

"Well then don't," I said reasonably, looking my best friend in the eye, "Borrow my stuff."

"But I want my stuff…" Alexa whined, "What if I run out of ink?"

I twitched before sighing and handing her my bag.

"I'll be back in five minutes alright?" I said before turning on my heel and dashing out the door.

It hadn't struck me at first that even Alexa forgetting something was completely out of character, let alone the fact that she was getting me to go through her stuff to get it instead of getting it herself like usual. But as I reached the eagle doorknocker for the Ravenclaw Common room all those thoughts crashed on me at once. Regardless, I brushed them off and entered without a problem, rushing to our dorm and grabbing the last of her school supplies before heading back to Transfiguration.

I skidded in through the classroom door with barely a minute to spare before heading to my usual desk, only to find it occupied by a sandy-haired Gryffindor. Alexa smiled at me from her seat, Remus looking at me a little warily when my eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You didn't-"

"Thanks for my stuff Maree! I left your stuff back there," she said quickly, gesturing over her shoulder passingly, "It was the only available seat."

I looked to where she had gestured slowly, noticing my blue messenger bag on the desk directly behind her, the desk usually occupied by James Potter. James had taken up Remus' usual seat next to Peter, meaning the only available Marauder to occupy the desk next to mine was-

"Alexa Piper, you are dead," I growled, going to lunge at my best friend when I caught sight of the Gryffindor Head of House entering through the classroom door and closing it behind her.

My hands outstretched in a choking gesture towards Alexa, I stood at war with myself for a second before turning on my heel and taking up my new seat. I caught sight of Alexa smirking in a knowing way as I gathered my stationary needed for the class before 'accidently' launching my messenger bag off the table at the back of her head. Alexa yelped as the bag, which still contained many heavy texts, collided with her skull and turned to face me sharply as I blinked innocently and shrugged.

"Whoops."

Alexa scowled as I levitated my bag back to my side of the desk and looked in McGonagall's direction raptly, catching the sound of a chuckle from my left. I ignored the deep laughter and took notes – probably for the first time this year – on what McGonagall was saying. I barely noticed the fact that Alexa reached up with her free hand and rubbed the back of her head.

_Serves her right, that meddling, little –_

A piece of parchment was shoved across the table in front of my eyes and I barely caught sight of the messy scrawl before snatching it up and tearing it to shreds. I smiled in satisfaction as the small pieces of parchment scattered across the table before brushing them into a neat pile and pushing them towards my left. I heard a long drawn out sigh before I felt a poke to my ribs which nearly caused me to jump out of my seat.

I resisted the urge to turn and glare at the dark-haired Gryffindor; that would only give him the satisfaction of knowing he'd won. Instead, I reached into my messenger bag and pulled out my wand, pointing at his chair under the table and muttering the curse under my breath. As soon as the shot of purple light hit Sirius' chair, it seemed to fall apart underneath him and he was sent sprawling to the floor. I chuckled as I tucked my wand into my pocket and took up my quill again, looking attentively at McGonagall.

Sirius pulled out his own wand and repaired the chair quickly before taking his seat again, sending a dirty look my way. To McGonagall's credit, she didn't miss a beat in her lesson, barely affording us a glance as Sirius took his seat and picked up his quill again. I felt a jab in my side again and scowled intent to keep working.

"Teilor," Sirius whispered from my side, "Teilor. Hey, Maree. Just hear me out okay?"

I didn't even look his way as he talked. He must have taken my silence as a cue to keep going so he cleared his throat and continued to make it look like he was taking notes as he talked out of the corner of his mouth. Initially, I sort of blocked his voice out by honing in on McGonagall's, but gave up as soon as he began to jab me in the side again.

"Look, Maree, I'm sorry alright?" Sirius began with a tone of pleading beneath his whispers, "I know I shouldn't have left you there like that but Piper was right, I don't know you that well, and I could've really hurt you up there and then where would we be? If I could've done things differently I would have but I messed up and I know that, give a guy a chance to prove himself to you-"

"Shut up," I muttered, not looking away from my work, "Just shut up okay?"

Sirius looked towards me hopefully but I could see that look of hope fade when he saw the way my face was set, eyes narrowed and mouth in a frown. I was holding my quill so tightly in my hand that I swore it would break and I could feel anger rising within me, but I wasn't sure why I was so irrationally angry at the Gryffindor at my side. I looked up at Professor McGonagall as the bell rang somewhere overhead, signalling the end of the period so I scooped up all my possessions and placed them in my bag – making sure the lid on my ink was closed securely before placing it amongst everything else.

I stood quickly and walked from the room, not glancing in my friends' directions at all as I left the Transfiguration classroom to head towards my next class. I was most of the way there before I changed my mind and turned away and headed up towards the upper parts of the school. Somehow I ended up near the Astronomy Tower and just kept going, checking the landing to make sure that there were no teachers to catch me in the out-of-bounds area.

As I ascended I sighed, this was going great – I was irrationally mad at Sirius Black and my best friend was teaming up with the Marauders to try to get me to forgive him. I figured that if I skipped classes for the rest of the day then all of them would give up on the idea and leave me alone in my irrationality. The plan was great, the plan would succeed.

The plan was bloody stupid.

It was the only plan I had though so, when I got to the top of the Astronomy Tower, I threw my bag down and sat against the wall under one of the windows, fully preparing to stay in that spot for the rest of the day. I closed my eyes and dozed a little, falling sideways along the wall and curling up on the ground to try to get a little more comfortable. Might as well catch up on the sleep I lost due to that blasted owl.

For all I know, I could have slept for hours when the clattering of footsteps on the staircase roused me into an abruptly wakeful state. My eyes snapped open and I sat up, crawling across the landing so that I was out of sight of the doorway when I heard the person pushing it open. I tried to calm my breathing, assuring myself the person would leave soon, after all, they couldn't possibly know I was up here.

"Maree, I know you're up here."

I knew that voice anywhere and my eyes went wide as I fought the urge to peer around the corner and watch him pace – or at least it sound like pacing from the sounds of his shoes on the floor. He was just trying to lure me out; there was no possible way he could even know I was up here-

"Maree I can see your bag, I know you're up here, there's no corpses on the school grounds."

_I've really got to learn to keep better track of that thing._

"I only want to talk."

I sighed before standing up and walking around so that I was opposite the dark-haired Gryffindor, his grey eyes watching me carefully, as if he were genuinely afraid I would fling myself from the tower to get away from him. I really couldn't, even if a part of me really wanted to.

"Maree, just hear me out okay, just hear me out and then decide what you think," Sirius began but I ignored him, brushing past him and snatching up my bag on the way to the door.

Sirius clenched his fists as I passed, before reaching out and grabbing my shoulder to turn me to face him. I averted my eyes, looking into the rafters of the tower to avoid looking at the Gryffindor in front of me as he rested his other hand on my shoulder, clearly restraining himself from shaking my body like a limp ragdoll.

"I'm sorry, alright Maree? I'm completely and totally sorry!" He bellowed, nearly causing me to look at him in shock, "I was an idiot and I was stupid and I'm sorry okay?"

I slapped his hands off of my shoulders before turning and heading for the door to the Astronomy Tower, pausing with my hand on the doorhandle as Sirius called after me.

"Please, just tell me what I can do to make up for all of this!"

I turned to face the Gryffindor, my ponytail flipping around behind me at the sharp movement of my head, and I smiled. I was sure he could see it didn't reach my eyes, I could feel it within myself that nothing about this smile was filled with anything but bitterness.

"I wouldn't tell you how to get me to like you and I'm not gonna tell you how to make this right," I said as I turned the handle behind my back and pushed the door open, "You'll have to figure it out on your own."

The doorway creaked as I pushed it open wide and took a single step outside, pausing when I heard a bitter chuckle behind me. I turned to see Sirius throw his head back and let out a bout of bitter laughter and waited, curiosity seeping into my pores, I really wanted to know what he was thinking.

"James would get a laugh out of this, I'm bloody chasing a girl when girls usually chase me, what on Earth am I thinking," he muttered barely loud enough for me to catch before looking up and noticing me watching. Our eyes locked for a moment before he shot me an almost pleading look.

I was about to turn away before I sighed and turned back to Sirius, figuring I'd give him a break – but only this once.

"You left me crying in the Entrance Hall after you Sirius," I said with a sigh, "Did you honestly think a few roses and some notes were really gonna cut it?"

"I-"

"Don't even try to give me the 'I was threatened' crap, you didn't even try to make things better, you didn't put in one ounce of effort Sirius! I was crying and all you had to do was look in my damn direction. That was all. You didn't need to talk to me. You didn't need to make contact, you just needed to look.

"I cried after you, I shouted after you and you sent me bloody roses!"

By now, Sirius was looking thoroughly gobsmacked. The shouting was good though, I was finally getting my emotions out in a more constructive way then ranting at Alexa when things became too much. I didn't go around shouting at people often, but this was making me feel lots better.

"Did you think that because I forgave Alexa for her hand in that incident that I would instantly forgive you? From all the experience you've had dealing with me, Sirius Black; did you honestly believe that I would forgive you over this incident? Well?"

Sirius stared at me as I glared at him, my hands on my hips and my robes flying wildly in a recent breeze. It seemed to take him a while to register that I had asked him a question and even then he seemed to be unable to respond from the pure shock of this entire situation. Oh yeah, I was good.

I turned on my heel, my ponytail flipping behind me as I stepped down the staircase away from the Astronomy Tower pausing again and not turning around.

"Consider yourself forgiven Black, and just remember one thing," I said before shooting a grin over my shoulder, "I prefer chocolate over flowers any day."


	14. There's No Place Like Home

**I got y'all a chapter update on Easter. I hope you're happy because now my family probably think I'm almost as antisocial as my brother... Which is a lot for the record. Seriously, all the guy does is play video games and watch anime.**

**On another note, I just wanted to let y'all know a little fact about this story. This chapter is the first of my 'Christmas Break' chapters. In my original length plan for the story, I was only gonna write 20 chapters and this would have happened at roughly chapter 8 or 9... But it didn't and I also have no idea how many chapters there are gonna be now because this story just likes to run away with itself...**

**Sorry guys, no Sirius in this chapter, but there is fretting about Sirius and house-elves so that makes it awesome anyway.**

**Anyways, thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter - even though I only updated around two days ago... - you guys are amazing. Keep on reviewing, you all make me smile with your story love. And yes, I think we all agree that chocolate would win over flowers ANY DAY.**

**Still don't own Harry Potter (Maybe one day... jokes) but I do own the marvellous Maree and co. which you have been following this entire time - and if you haven't I have no idea what you've been reading but this isn't it... O.o**

**So, here ya go guys. Cause I love you.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 14 – There's No Place Like Home<strong>

My trunk clicked against the pristine marble stairs that lead into the large, white mansion, leaving scuff marks across the surface that I just knew the house-elves were going to have to clean up later. I turned to wave at the purple bus that had taken me here only to find nothing but a set of skid marks along the long gravel drive. Shrugging, I twisted the handle on the mansion's front door and swung it wide, satisfying myself with the thud it made as it opened wide enough to hit the wall.

"Mistress Maree, you is back!"

The wind was knocked out of me as a pair of tiny arms wrapped themselves around my middle and held on tightly. The force of the blow sent me sprawling backwards onto the floor, my head colliding painfully and my trunk flying out of my grip and smashing down with a loud thud of its own. I wheezed from my position as I glanced down at the small thing that had wrapped its arms around my middle, patting its head lightly with a small sigh.

"It's good to see you again too Mitsy," I greeted with a small smile as soon as I had regained enough breath to do so, "Now if you wouldn't mind, could you maybe, let go?"

The hands retracted themselves as quickly as they had appeared and I sat up, shooting a small smile at Mitsy as she stood a few metres away wringing her fingers and looking worried. She bowed low, her ears nearly touching the ground, before running around me to grab my trunk and disappearing with a loud _pop_. I sighed and dragged myself up from the floor, glancing around the spacious interior at the large paintings of my parents and the various arched doorways.

"Home, sweet home," I mumbled under my breath bitterly.

I crossed the entryway in several large steps before making my way up the gilded staircase opposite the front door and veering to the left. All of my possessions were in the left wing, in fact, everything I had anything to do with in this house was in either the left wing or the bottom floor. My parents had worked hard to make it that way and ensured that our twin house-elves were well-aware about what was going on.

I had to walk the entire length of the second-floor corridor of the left wing to reach my bedroom – which was quite a large distance I assure you - pushing the polished wooden door open by its gleaming silver handle. Inside I found my room in an impeccably spotless state – courtesy of Mitsy no doubt – with the small house-elf rummaging through my stuff and putting it all back where it belonged. She worked quickly, her tennis ball-sized eyes set with a determined gaze as she moved about; occasionally pausing to fix her clean, white pillowcase that she wore as clothing.

When she finished, she turned to me and bowed so that her small, pointed nose almost touched the ground and I smiled, leaning against the doorway with my arms folded across my chest. I walked across the room, pausing to pat Mitsy on the head as I passed her, and headed straight for the light-blue window seat that looked out across the immense expanse of grounds that were on the estate – including a small lake near a domed pavilion.

"I take it mother and father aren't returning until Christmas Eve," I commented to the little house-elf that was still in my room – probably clearing up the wet tracks that I had left along the wooden floorboards from walking directly across the front lawn.

"Mistress and Master Teilor is very busy with work Mistress Maree," Mitsy said comfortingly, coming up to my window seat and clearing the puddles that were forming from my sodden shoes, "They'd be here if they could."

"No Mitsy," I replied quietly, half-hoping the little house-elf wouldn't hear me, "No they wouldn't."

"They is travelling with the International Confederate of Wizards," Mitsy insisted earnestly, "They is doing goods and you is their child. Of course they'd be here if they coulds."

I sighed a little to myself, leaning under the window seat to pick out a book from the shelf whilst sending Mitsy a small reassuring smile. The house-elf smiled back a little as I flipped the book open and began to read whilst she got back to work, clattering about in an effort to make the house seem a bit more occupied than it was and make me feel a bit better. I chuckled at the poor elf's efforts.

"I'm sure you're right Mitsy," I replied with a smile, "They'd probably be here if they could."

Mitsy, satisfied that she had served to cheer me up a little, smiled before leaving the room in its spotless state that was so different to how my dormitory was at Hogwarts. The sapphire-blue walls and gleaming, bronze four-poster bed standing as a testament to my house loyalty. Despite the coloured walls, they all remained bare of nothing but three doors – one to my wardrobe, one to my private bathroom and the other leading back out into the hallway – and a few pieces of furniture that had been tossed in here from other rooms over the years when I had come to need them. All of the items in my room gleamed of various shades of blue – the sky-blue couch at the end of my bed, the aquamarine bedside table and the pastel blue dressing table – and were all neatly arranged to give the room a very sparse feeling that made it almost seem as if no-one occupied this room at all. For the most part, that was true; for all bar the few months over summer.

The leather-bound book slipped out of my grip as I stared around the room and I blinked down at it in shock as it made a small thunking noise against the polished wood. I shook my head to clear my mind and leaned over to pick up the book again, placing it in my lap and flipping to my page before beginning to read the large story over again.

At least by reading books I'd be able to pass some time until the holidays were over.

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><p>A loud tapping in close proximity to my head caused me to rouse to wakefulness quickly, jumping out of my skin when I opened my bleary eyes to find an owl's face so close to my own. I shrieked as the shock sent me tumbling off the window seat and onto the wooden floor where I laid sprawled for a long minute as I tried to regain my breathing. I looked up at the barn owl that was perched out on my window ledge and tapping against the glass near where my head had been resting before reaching up and unlatching the window to push it wide and admit the bird.<p>

It flew in and landed on the very edge of my window seat, looking down at me with its wide eyes searchingly before holding out the scroll that was tied to its leg. Groaning, I rubbed the back of my arm across my eyes before sitting up and relieving the owl of its scroll. It remained perched on the window seat as I reached onto the shelf underneath it and retrieved an owl treat from the small box I kept there. The owl accepted the treat greedily and swallowed it whole before hooting and diving out the window with a small excited hop.

I laughed at the owl before glancing down at the scroll in my hand which was addressed with a familiar squished and curly handwriting. I slid the scroll open, unfurling it slowly when a small block of chocolate fell out from where it had been hastily fixed with spell-o-tape. I giggled at the present and set it aside, opening the scroll a bit more to read over my best friend's hasty script.

_I figured that your parents wouldn't be home and that you'd be well and truly lonely by now so I thought I'd drop you a line and some chocolate to keep those nasty good-thought-stealing dementors at bay._

_Hey Maree,_

_It's exceptionally unentertaining in the castle without you – not to mention the chief trouble-makers have all returned home for Christmas as well leaving me stuck with all the studious and behaving members of Hogwarts' population left. I honestly don't know what to do with myself. Thank goodness Remus leant me one of his novels before disappearing for break._

_I can practically see the smirk forming on your face as you read that last sentence and am going to respond how I would were I talking to you in person – He's not my boyfriend, he just lends me literature._

_At this point I realise you would be responding sarcastically with something along the lines of 'Suure… I'll believe you' and I demand you stop that at once. It is fact._

_Where was I?_

_Oh right, how boring Hogwarts was without you._

_It truly is, come back soon. I know you don't like your parents, but at least __try__ to have a good time while staying at home._

_I miss you heaps, and so do Grace and Alex. They'll probably send you their own letters, but I thought I'd tell you anyway. Don't let them know I told you though, they'd gang up on me and they can be quite vicious with the pranking when they want to be._

_Also, my parents are finally agreeing to let me have my cat Manfred at Hogwarts, I can't wait for you to meet him._

_I hope this made you feel just a little bit better,_

_Lexie._

_P.S. If you dare to make any comments about me and Remus in your response, I am destroying any belongings that you've left behind in the dormitory. Without mercy._

Laughter burbled in the back of my throat as I read over my best friend's letter until I couldn't hold it back anymore and I was rolling along the wooden floor with the letter clutched to my chest and tears streaming down my face. I had to sit up again and lean forward, propping myself up with my hands as I fought to calm my breathing down again and thought of my curly-haired best friend forlornly, watching her push her glasses up with a knowing smirk in my mind's eye as she would were she here to watch such a raucous display.

I tucked the letter onto my small shelf and moved over to the couch at the end of my bed, lifting the seat up and revealing a wooden compartment underneath. I opened the small wooden box and pulled out a piece of parchment, quill, ink and my small blue money-pouch. I placed the lid back on the compartment, putting the seat back down and sprawling out across the wooden floor. The inkwell's cap came off easily and I dipped the quill inside, pressing it to my parchment moments later to write a quick reply for my best friend before heading downstairs and into the kitchen where Mitsy was cooking some brownies.

"Mitsy, could you take me into town?" I asked, nearly causing the house-elf to fall over in shock at the sudden company before blinking up at me and bowing, "I have some post I need to send."

"I would love to Mistress Maree but I is busy with the cooking," Mitsy explained quickly with a sad look in her eyes. Not wanting her to launch into an overlong string of apologies I waved her off with a small smile.

"That's quite alright, I'll just get Ratchet to take me," I said quickly before raising my voice and saying quite clearly, "Ratchet, come here please."

A minute later and there was a loud _pop_ in the kitchen to signal the other house-elf's arrival. Ratchet was slightly taller than Mitsy – quite tall for house-elf standards – and often avoided having any contact with other beings as possible. Ratchet was quite a secluded house-elf, hating contact and occasionally getting into panic attacks as a result and yet she still did her best to get her work done as ordered. She bent over so that her long ears very nearly brushed the floor but just missed before looking up at me with her wide, tennis ball-like eyes.

"You called Mistress Maree," Ratchet said in her high, squeaky voice and I held up the letter to the house-elf.

"I have some mail I must send," I told her with a small smile to try to ease her frazzled demeanour, "I need you to take me into town so that I can send it."

Ratchet's eyes widened at the prospect of human contact, a thing that she would so adamantly usually avoid. She nodded silently before walking across the kitchen and taking my hand, disappearing from the house with a _pop_ before reappearing on the street in front of the wizarding post office. I took my hand away from Ratchet's carefully before turning to her with a small smile.

"I have some other errands I must run as well. Go home, I'll call you when I'm finished," I ordered, my smile dropping a bit when I saw the relief in her eyes as she disappeared into the air.

Turning away from the crowded street, I entered the post office and looked around at the different owls. They all looked down at the waiting wizards, each having different requirements for posting listed underneath them. I waved down a barn owl and tied the message to its leg before walking over to an elderly wizard who appeared to be dozing in his chair and paying the required fare for posting with such a bird. I let the bird go as soon as I was done and watched it swoop out of the window into the daylight before stretching a bit and leaving the post office to re-join the crowds of Christmas shoppers that littered the streets.

The noise was loud - as loud as it could be when you were in one of the bigger country towns – and the people were pressed together on all sides as they tried to move from one shop to another in the blistering chill as quickly as possible. It occurred to me, somewhere in a back corner of my mind, that I wasn't dressed appropriately for the weather, but this shopping trip was a spontaneous decision and I was going to go for it.

I went over my mental list and made a beeline for the bookstore that was across the street, apologising when I bumped anyone too harshly in my rush. A bell tinkled somewhere overhead as I pushed the door open, the cold wind whipping into the warm store as I dashed inside and closed the door behind me. I patted my cheeks – which were numb from the cold and no doubt bright red by now – before moving over to the fiction novels and looking them over. To be honest, I had no idea what I was looking for. I only ever read stories written by witches and wizards for witches and wizards, so this muggle literature was a whole new field for me.

Running my hand along the spines of a lot of the novels I gave up on the idea of buying muggle literature and instead went past that section and into the magical section – none of the muggles of this town knew it existed but every single witch and wizard did. I picked out a book on mythical creatures for Remus – I'd seen him looking up books on werewolves or something once – and a book of handy hair and make-up charms for Lily – it was a relatively new edition so I doubted any of her other friends would have gotten it for her yet.

As I was heading over to the counter to pay a book on dragons caught my eye and I immediately scooped it up to add to the rest of my pile. Alexa would love it, dragons were by far the most fascinating of all magical creatures to her, she'd told me about how she'd fallen in love with dragons as a young girl and so I was sure that this book would be great for her. I handed the books over the counter and paid for them all before accepting the package and leaving the warm confines of the shop.

I went over my mental list of people before moving to a jewellery shop that a lot of the muggles of this town seemed to love, stepping inside to take a look at their merchandise. Glancing into one of the display windows I caught sight of a small silver snake charm that had embedded emerald eyes next to a gilded pocket watch that hung on a long necklace chain. Catching the attention of the jeweller I pointed the objects out, asking for them – Alex and Lexie would love them so much – when my eyes caught a simple silver chain which had a ruby hanging off of it which I snatched up as well for Grace.

The jeweller smiled widely, asking about my purchases in a condescending tone until I handed over the exact amount of muggle money he required. Honestly, some muggles were entirely rude. I snatched my purchases off of the counter with a wide smile before turning on my heel and heading away from the man. Stepping out of the shop into the cold once more with my purchases clasped tightly in my hands, I smiled contentedly, going over my mental checklist.

_Remus, check. Lily, check. Alexa, check. Alexis, check. Gracie, check. Siri-_

I groaned and ran a hand through my brown hair, going over my present options for Sirius. It was a simple enough assessment after only a few moments. I had no idea what I should get him. Though I'd never really talked to Peter he was easily covered with a few bars of chocolate – he was a friend of my friends after all – and I could easily pick up some quidditch supplies for James, but what on Earth do you get for the guy who's trying to win your affections for a bet?

Thousands of ideas burst through my head, each more ridiculous than the next as I walked towards the sporting goods shop down the street which also sold quidditch supplies. I looked through all the beater's equipment and broomstick servicing supplies, picking up one of the more expensive kits for James, but nothing really seemed like the right thing to give Sirius.

I walked along the street, inspecting the different kinds of shops they had on offer – I'd been here a dozen times before and knew all of the shops like the back of my hand, but perhaps I'd missed something in my search. Jewellers, book shop, sports shop, clothes shop, pet shop, post office, chocolate shop, general trade. I went into every single one of those shops, scouring the area for a decent present that Sirius would keep that wouldn't blend in with the many presents he would be receiving from his fangirls. Nothing. That was what I came up with in my search, absolutely nothing.

A few times I stopped to consider possible purchases but none of them seemed good enough, not when compared to all the thought I'd put into my other friends' presents. I even went so far as to look at a lot of muggle merchandise which he might find particularly amusing but always reconsidered at the last moment.

As the day drew on and my search continued to yield no results I dropped into the pub in town to pick up a meal. The pub was as warm as any of the other places I had visited and I stood still in the doorway for a moment as I tried to regain feeling in my frozen limbs when I caught sight of a mop of familiar messy, black hair over in the corner. In my excitement, I shoved a lot of the patrons out of the way to get to the messy-haired Gryffindor.

"James!" I called over the loud noise of the tavern causing the dark-haired teen to look around wildly, his hazel eyes a little frazzled behind his circular glasses until he caught sight of me pushing through the crowd and grinned.

"Well if it isn't the female Marauder," he greeted loudly with a wave, "What're you doing here?"

"I live near here," I replied as I finally broke through the crowd and stood in front of the taller boy, "I was doing a bit of Christmas shopping, what're you doing here?"

"My parents live on the outskirts of the village," James replied easily as he shoved his hands deep into his pockets and assessed my pile of gifts, "Anything there for me?"

"As if I would divulge that kind of restricted information," I said snootily, throwing my head in the air and trying to bite back a giggle, "Anyway, you're an excellent person to find. I need your help."

"The great and infamously stubborn Ravenclaw needs _my _help?" James gasped, "Is the world to end? Whatever could you need my illustrious assistance with?"

"Shove it Potter," I grumbled before looking around with a sigh and gesturing to an empty table, "D'you mind? I may just collapse of starvation if I don't sit down and get something to eat."

James laughed before leading the way over to the table and sitting down, taking my packages from me to lay on the vacant seat and waving me off to go and order some food. I warned him about peaking at his present before going to the bar and ordering a sandwich, taking it from the bartender as it was finished and heading back over to James only to find him peeking into the bags.

"I just told you not to peek," I whined as I sat down opposite the messy-haired Gryffindor and placed my sandwich on the table, "Now all of the surprise will be ruined."

"Not necessarily," James replied with a shrug before grinning, "I love my broom servicing kit by the way."

"See, the surprise is ruined," I pointed out as I sunk a bite into my sandwich, chewed and swallowed before continuing with, "And you wonder why Lily gets so mad at you."

"That's not fair," James said with a slight pout and I smirked as I polished off half of my sandwich before responding with a small chuckle.

"I've never exactly been the poster-child for fair."

James looked like he was about to argue the point before snapping his mouth shut and nodding in ascension. I smiled to myself as I finished off the other half of my sandwich and cleared away the crumbs. James seemed to stare at me in awe – probably from my speed-eating skills – and I shrugged with a smile before steepling my fingers on the table and leaning my chin on them.

"So, Mister Potter," I said conspiratorially, glancing around as if I was about to tell him a big secret before sighing and throwing my hands up in the air in frustration, "What on Earth should I get your best friend for Christmas?"

James stared at me in shock, his jaw slack and his eyes wide as I rubbed my temples in aggravation before locking eyes with him again. We sat in silence for a while, mostly because I didn't want to explode James' mind which I may well have done if I said anything else in the state he was in. After a prolonged period, James blinked his eyes and shook his head before roaring with laughter as I sighed. Again I waited for that to pass before James looked at me, fully assessing my furrowed brow and slight pout.

"You're serious," James said in disbelief.

"No your best friend is," I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring down at the mahogany table, "But I still need help."

James sighed, getting up from the table and moving to leave the bar and I looked after him in confusion.

"Where are you going? I need your help!"

"Just get him anything," James called lightly over his shoulder, "No matter what it is, I'm sure he'll like it."

"Bu-"

It was too late. James had already pushed through the crowd and was no doubt gone from the pub by now. I sighed before picking up my packages and heading into the crowd myself, deciding to keep scouring the stores anyway in hopes of finding something. No matter where I looked though, nothing was coming out at me. I was striking a complete blank. I had absolutely no idea what to buy for Sirius Black.

The shops began to close around me and I sighed, summoning Mitsy to my side and having her take me home, not even arguing as she took my packages from my hands and placed them in a neat pile on my sky-blue couch before leaving to get me some dinner. I flopped onto the bed and groaned, mentally berating myself for not being able to buy Sirius a present. I was determined to find him something eventually, it just had to be special.


	15. Toujours Pur

**Been a while hasn't it guys? Well, I'm back with a new chapter for y'all.**

**Now, I could go on and on and tell you all about my suffering against the deadly disease of 'Writer's Block' or the fact that I went on the grand adventure of re-reading One Piece - for any of you who've read it or even watched it you know what a grand adventure that is - or even about the fact that I had a bio essay that I had to do. But I'm not gonna do that, because you guys don't need those excuses, you need a chapter and guess what I've got?**

**Anyway, I want to really thank everyone who reviewed in my prolonged absence - except you Lexie. You do not get thanked because you're a bully - I really appreciated hearing from y'all and I would love to hear from you again.**

**If anyone wants to keep updated on my happenings when I'm being lazy, follow me on Twitter. Look up MareeTeilor and you'll find me. If you don't care, don't look me up, done. Simple.**

**As a note: I don't own the Harry Potter universe but I do own my OCs - which don't have much of an appearance in this chapter but that's alright.**

**So, here's the thing you've all been waiting for, CHAPTER 15!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15 - Toujours Pur<strong>

_Merry Christmas Pads!_

_How's life treating you old buddy, ol' chum? Are you having the dandiest time over in the Ancient and Most Snooty House of Incest? I hear that it's lovely over there, what with the pureblood mania and Slytherin pride and the 'I'm so much better than anyone you know and you should've been a Slytherin' vibe I here they've got going over there. Alright, alright mate, stop glaring at the parchment, I'm done I swear._

_Anyway, on to a more serious note, I write you this letter - as probably the last ever message that I shall ever write - for the dreaded female creature known as 'Mother' has invited some of her old bitty friends over and I just know that I won't survive the night, what with the pinching and coddling. Seriously, man, get me the hell outta here. I NEED SANE MALE COMPANY!_

_You'd never believe the horrors that some of these women can perform - or perhaps you could, anyway - I don't think I can stand another session of coddling and if I am forced to sit through another lot of their torture like a good chivalrous Gryffindor, I may just scream like a little girl. Like a little first year Hufflepuff girl. It really is that bad, though I will acknowledge that is probably nowhere near the hell that you are facing._

_I will take a small moment of silence to acknowledge your suffering._

_Okay, now that's over, you'll never guess who I met in town the other day; Maree Teilor. I shit you not dude. She got me the most INSANE quidditch care kit you will ever see. Aside from that year you guys all pitched in to get me a broom, this is probably the most amazing present I have ever gotten. EVER._

_Anyways, send me an owl when you're ready to leave that nuthouse and join me in my suffering. It'd be more fun with you here mate._

_Can't wait to hear from you,_

_The Ever Amazing Prongs._

_P.S. There are some fine birds that live in the village nearby and I think you should get over here and check them out. Just saying._

Sirius sighed as he folded up the letter from his best friend and placed it in the shoebox at the bottom of his trunk before covering the box up with some of his clean school robes. If there was one thing that Sirius did not need, it was his mother going through his room and finding him sharing letters with 'that Potter boy' again. No doubt, this time, he would cop it far worse than he had on the last occasion. A subconscious shudder caused his body to convulse for a moment and Sirius shook his head to clear the thoughts.

"Sirius!" A tall dark-haired boy called as he entered his older brother's room without knocking as he always seemed to do, "Mother told me to tell you that she expects you to be downstairs in your best dress robes in an hour. She seems to really want you to make an impression on the family we're meeting tonight."

"Like I could give a rat's arse what she wants," Sirius grumbled mutinously as his brother stared around his room whilst simultaneously finger-combing his hair.

The place was a dump. Shut away in the upper floors of the House of Black, Sirius had been mostly left alone for the holiday to do as he pleased. This meant, that Sirius had spent the holidays living out of his room and avoiding all contact with his snobbish family and thus resulting in the current pigsty of a living arrangement that he was in.

Initially, Sirius' mother had been sending Kreacher into his room at night as a spy under the guise of tidying up his mess. This had all come to an end when, one night, he had awoken with a full bladder and tripped over the little devil. This had left Sirius to resolve to the drastic plan of leaving his room in so disgusting a mess that there was no point in Kreacher pretending to come clean it each night whilst not-so-secretly raiding his underwear drawer. Whilst the plan was brilliant in its own right, the cons of the arrangement was that he was practically rolling around in his own filth - a situation that Sirius had quickly resolved to never go through again.

Looking around his room now, Sirius would freely admit that his destruction of his room had been a tiny bit excessive but it was all for the greater good of a small amount of privacy and freedom within his own house. In all great fights sacrifices must be made, and though he had spent a lot of time cringing whilst doing it, the destruction of his room had ultimately led to him being relatively unbothered for the majority of his holiday. Until that moment, that was.

"Did someone set off a set of fireworks in here? Or was it another one of your little friendship group's ideas of a 'hilarious' prank?" Regulus enquired scathingly, looking down in scorn at all the far-flung pieces of wrapping paper and dirty laundry. Of course Regulus' idea of nice family bonding on Christmas was to insult all of Sirius' friends. You could just feel the love radiating in the atmosphere between the two teens.

"I wouldn't feel the need to live in such a sty if it weren't for mother sending her favourite spy in to check up on me," Sirius shot back sharply, crossing his arms across his chest defiantly and squaring off against his younger brother.

"She wouldn't feel the need to watch you if it weren't for the fact that you're such a worry to the family name," Regulus responded coolly, "If you just pretended to have common sense for a minute you would notice all the trouble that your actions get you into."

Sirius picked up the nearest inanimate object and threw it at his brother, watching as his brother cringed away from the dirty socks in disgust before turning on his heel and heading back to the door. Glaring at his younger brother's stiff back, Sirius checked the surfaces around him inconspicuously for more objects to throw should the need arise. Regulus hesitated with his hand on the door before turning to face his elder brother with a grim expression.

"I don't even know why you bother to stay in this house when you're such a disappointment to mother."

Regulus closed the door quickly behind himself to avoid the History of Magic textbook that had been flung at his head as Sirius quietly cursed his missed throw before sinking down onto his mattress with a drawn out sigh. That was all Sirius ever heard around the house, that he was a disgrace to his mother and a disgrace to his family name. That was all they ever really cared about, her opinion and the purity of their blood. It was a nightmare. In fact, as he had quickly found out, the only reason that his parents had even dragged him away from Hogwarts for the holiday had been so they could try to arrange a relationship for him with someone of pureblood.

At first, Sirius had refused the request to attend the dinner at this girl's house, but after some persuasion from his mother - very violent persuasion which involved a lot of yelling by both sides - he had conceded to their demands. Now, Sirius was regretting his choice to be the good son for a change and go along with what his parents wanted. He looked to the black dress robes that hung on the back of his door with a scowl, dreading the introductions already. No doubt, he would have to listen to his mother's simpering whine about how he should be more like his brother and how it was so hard to find any decent candidates to arrange him with.

He could practically imagine the girl now, decked out in a Slytherin green dress which she fancied looked attractive and probably too much make-up for her to even move her face without it cracking. She also likely had a deformity, that would be why there was still a girl his age who wasn't arranged, and Sirius couldn't help but picture this girl with Snivellus' hooked nose or overly greasy hair. He shuddered. Perhaps, if the girl was truly atrocious enough, Sirius would be able to escape without any commitment as he had on every other occasion.

Sirius shook his head to clear such thoughts and got up, treading carefully over his mounds of rubbish, to get to his dress robes. The quicker he got done with this whole sordid event, the quicker he could retreat back into his room and count down the days until he was able to see his friends again. All of their presents, perched on the end of his bed that morning had reminded him just how much he missed his group of pranksters whilst he was stuck in this hell hole.

His presents still sat in their neat pile at the end of his bed, their wrapping paper scattered around the floor and Sirius, without really thinking, diverted his attention from getting ready to look through their gifts once more.

The gifts were left in two piles - the ones from his fan club and the ones from his friends - one being significantly larger and filled with a greater assortment of pink than the other. He ignored the massive pile of candies and love letters in favour of the smaller pile from his friends, the ones who really had some idea of what he wanted.

At the top of the pile was a small scarlet box from Alexa Piper, filled with an assortment of Honeydukes finest. One of the only present from the girls at Hogwarts that had made it into the pile from his friends, mostly because he was shocked to find the small present from the curly-haired Ravenclaw in the first place. With it had been a letter wishing him a Merry Christmas and apologising for jumping down his throat, Sirius had gotten a good laugh out of that. Underneath Alexa's present was a large package of Zonko's products from Peter, a book of pranks from Remus and some quidditch supplies from James. Along with those presents were some home-cooked treats from Mrs Potter and a scarlet and gold scarf from his cousin Andy as well as several other various gifts from family members that weren't entirely insane.

Sirius smiled fondly at each and every one of the presents before thinking over James' letter again and sighing. He knew he shouldn't really have expected anything from her, but a part of Sirius had been really looking forward to a present from Maree. He had spent hours sorting through the presents and looking for hers only to come up empty handed. Sirius thought back to the present he had sent her and realised what an idiot he looked, sending her a gift when he barely knew her or anything, she probably wouldn't even like it and would send it back. That would just be the icing on the cake of a wonderful Christmas. Being set-up by his parents and then being rejected by Maree Teilor - what a great Christmas this would be.

Groaning inwardly, Sirius left the pile of gifts and turned back to the dress robes on the back of his door, steeling himself before moving over and taking them from his hangar so he could proceed to get ready. He opened his bedroom door and headed down the stairs to the nearest bathroom, closing the door behind himself and heading for the shower. He turned the faucet, letting the hot water run as he stripped off and left his laundry in the washing basket before stepping under the steaming water with a long sigh. He drew out the shower as long as he could before turning off the water and stepping out to grab a towel to wrap it around himself.

He dressed quickly, smoothing down any creases in his robes as they formed and combing his hair out of his face - thanking whoever was listening that he didn't have James' permanent mess atop his head. He looked in the mirror, rubbing the steam from the surface with his towel so he could assess his appearance properly. Smirking, Sirius considered running his hand through his hair in a very James-like way so he could bother his mother before sighing and moving out of the room in silence. He dashed up the stairs back to his room so he could collect his dress shoes and slip them onto his feet before going back out his door and beginning the slow walk downstairs to the entryway of his family's townhouse.

The stairs seemed to go on forever as Sirius assumed the walk of a man heading to his death sentence, his head hung low as he sensed the impending doom that was headed towards him and almost wishing that he could join the stuffed elves heads that were mounted on the wall of the staircase so that he wouldn't have to put up with this any further, but that would be ridiculous and - no matter what he said - Sirius was in no rush to die.

The first thing that Sirius caught sight of as he entered the Entryway was his mother wearing an overly-tight, emerald-green dress that hugged onto every single piece of fat she had. Her hair was pulled away from her face in a twist that would have looked elegant if it weren't for the fact that it revealed her long, pointed nose and narrowed, grey eyes. She pulled her matching emerald dress robes around her shoulders and fastened them closed, almost succeeding in blocking the horrible sight of her dressed-up form as she turned her overly-painted face towards him. Sirius almost froze in his spot as she looked him over critically before turning back to her husband in his set of emerald-green dress robes which matched his wife's outfit and that of his youngest son.

It was like being an outsider and walking into the perfect, Slytherin family. Sirius remained in his spot on the staircase for a moment longer before taking a deep breath and descending to join his family. It was as if his presence brought a lull in the atmosphere and they all looked to him at once as Sirius fought desperately against the urge to scuff his shoes against the floor.

"Good to have you join us son," Orion acknowledged lowly, his scowl ruining the greeting, "We wouldn't want to keep the heir of Ravenclaw waiting."

Sirius hesitated momentarily, fully-registering the sort of company he would be in for that night and feeling himself falter. Gathering himself, Sirius put on an indifferent mask and sent a nod in his father's direction. Orion nodded in response before turning to his wife with a dashing smile and taking her arm. Walburga Black simpered at her husband and let him lead her out the front door, clearly expecting their two sons to follow. Sirius rolled his eyes at his parents and walked a couple of metres behind them with Regulus at his side, closing the door as they made it outside onto the doorstep behind their parents.

Walburga turned and took her younger son's hand, holding it tightly before turning on her heel and disappearing with a _crack._ Orion followed his wife's lead, grabbing onto Sirius' arm in an uncomfortably tight way before turning himself and disappearing from Grimmauld Place.

When his feet hit solid ground again, the only thing that prevented him stumbling to the ground and gasping in oxygen to replenish his air supply was his father's sharp grip on his arm. Sirius looked up at his father as the grip on his arm was released and Orion took his wife's arm again before moving up the drive in front of their two sons. Sirius turned to his younger brother who was hanging back near him and offered his arm mockingly. Regulus swatted his arm away and stalked up the path behind their parents, trying his hardest to put up his pure blood image whilst looking green in the face and fuming at his older brother. Sirius chuckled absently as he followed his brother, after all he had to get fun wherever he could.

It wasn't until he was halfway up the winding drive that Sirius actually looked up at the house in front of him to see what he was in for and when he did he nearly stumbled to a stop.

Ahead of him was an expansive, white mansion that had to be at least three floors high. There were pillars out the front that held up the roof of a porch that seemed to wrap around the entire building. Several large, shuttered windows faced the drive, all of which had standard sapphire-blue curtains flapping in their frames. After looking at the building he looked to the side of the driveway and found himself wandering in between sloping, landscaped lawns. It took a lot to leave Sirius speechless, but the house surprised him to the extent that he had nothing more to say. Of all the things he had expected, this had not been it.

"Sirius! Hurry up," Regulus hissed back at his brother between clenched teeth as they approached the front stairs. Walburga had turned at the bottom of the stairs to stare at her oldest son in displeasure as he jogged a little to catch up to the rest of his family at the base of the mansion's stairs. They walked up the small stairway together, Sirius standing a little off to the side from his family, and Orion stepped forward to knock.

The door was pulled open by a small, frantic-looking house-elf who bowed low and ushered the Black family inside before shutting the door with a snap and disappearing with a small _pop_. Moments later, a door off the Entrance Hall opened and a tall, thin woman moved into the room with a wide smile, a floating, emerald dress hanging from her shoulders as she swept across the distance.

"Walburga, it's been too long," the woman called loudly as she wrapped her arms around the shorter woman warmly. Behind her, an equally as tall man move across the entry and took Orion's hand in a firm grip before greeting Walburga politely as Orion did the same with the other woman. As the adults drew away from each other Sirius found himself being pushed into the limelight beside his brother.

"Are these your sons?" The woman gushed brightly, looking the boys over with a critical eye, "What handsome young boys you have."

Regulus bowed his head and accepted the compliment in silence as Sirius simply stood with as little defiance as he could muster. It wasn't long until the parents diverged into their own conversation, leaving the teenage boys to stand on their own and off to the side of the expansive space. It was almost peaceful, and might just have been so, but the tension in Sirius had reached new levels as he thought of the reason that he was here in the first place.

"It's so good of you to consider my child for your son. Not many would look at her you see," the woman of the house gushed with a slightly shameful look on her face, "She's a little rebellious to pureblood ways."

Walburga's high-pitched laugh stabbed at Sirius' skull as she sent a meaningful glance his way before patting her friend on the shoulder.

"I know your pain Celia," Walburga replied, "Our little Sirius is the same. But I'm sure they'll realise their errors in due time."

Sirius nearly snorted, as he thought, _yeah, and pigs will fly without the aid of magic._

"So where is this mystery daughter of yours Christopher?" Orion enquired of the man he was talking to and Sirius couldn't help but look his way in curiosity.

"Yes, Celia, where are you hiding her?" Walburga asked as she looked around, as if expecting the girl to jump out from some concealed corner, "I'm dying to meet her."

"That child should be down here by now," Celia said quietly, her tone becoming a little dark before she raised her voice and called out, "Ratchet!"

The panicked looking house-elf reappeared and bowed its head low, it's ears hitting the marble floor.

"You did call missus?" The house-elf asked in a quiet voice and Celia nodded sharply as the house-elf raised its eyes.

"Go and tell that child to come down here at once."

The elf disappeared and suddenly, somewhere overhead there was a crashing noise. Sirius looked up in wonder as the crashing continued and a distressed voice could be heard calling after something. The noise was coming closer when suddenly a small, black kitten bounded onto the top of the stairway and down into the entry. Sirius stared at the kitten in shock as it nearly fell down the stairs before turning in front of the gathered people and heading through another doorway. He continued to look in the direction the kitten had gone and a small part of him realised that he knew that kitten, but that was just not possible. There was just no way that the kitten that had just run past could've been the one he thought it was, because there was just no possible way that it could've been the kitten he'd given her for Christmas.

"George! Don't go down there!" a voice yelled from the direction of the top of the stairs and Sirius' eyes were torn from the kitten's trail to the familiar sound, "Mother and father will get angry at me!"

Rounding the corner onto the stairs was a thin girl in a sapphire-blue dress that floated out behind her as she moved halting at her knees in the front but almost reaching her ankles in the back. She was scurrying through the house bare-footed with a strappy pair of bronze heels in one hand and a small, blue collar clasped in the other. Her hair was flying behind her loosely, only the top half constrained behind her head by flowered pins. Everyone was watching the girl as she made her frantic entry onto the marble stairs when she suddenly stopped and looked up at her company, her pale-green eyes flashing in shock before she paused and smoothed down her dress with a small smile.

Sirius couldn't help but stare at the girl, and neither could anyone else for that matter as she casually slipped on the heeled shoes before standing tall once more and holding the collar behind her back. She looked prettier than he had ever seen her, not that she didn't look pretty normally, and as she nodded her head a little in greeting, Sirius finally found his voice.

"Maree?"


	16. Welcome to Ravenclaw Manor

**Well this has been massively delayed...**

**Umm... What can I say? I'm really sorry about the delay. I honestly feel really bad about it and I've got a million excuses which you guys probably don't care about so I'll just skip all that shall I?**

**Thanks for all of you who reviewed the last chapter! I really do appreciate it. (Sorry for leaving some of you 'dying')**

**I don't own the Harry Potter world, only my OCs.**

**I like chocolate. Also, sorry for any mistakes... I just got this finished and I feel so bad for leaving you guys hanging that I just had to rush to get it to you... I will fix those at a more reasonable hour tomorrow though.**

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><p><strong>Because it has been so long... RECAP<strong>

_"George! Don't go down there!" a voice yelled from the direction of the top of the stairs and Sirius' eyes were torn from the kitten's trail to the familiar sound, "Mother and father will get angry at me!"_

_Rounding the corner onto the stairs was a thin girl in a sapphire-blue dress that floated out behind her as she moved halting at her knees in the front but almost reaching her ankles in the back. She was scurrying through the house bare-footed with a strappy pair of bronze heels in one hand and a small, blue collar clasped in the other. Her hair was flying behind her loosely, only the top half constrained behind her head by flowered pins. Everyone was watching the girl as she made her frantic entry onto the marble stairs when she suddenly stopped and looked up at her company, her pale-green eyes flashing in shock before she paused and smoothed down her dress with a small smile._

_Sirius couldn't help but stare at the girl, and neither could anyone else for that matter as she casually slipped on the heeled shoes before standing tall once more and holding the collar behind her back. She looked prettier than he had ever seen her, not that she didn't look pretty normally, and as she nodded her head a little in greeting, Sirius finally found his voice._

_"Maree?"_

__**And now, onto the long awaited...**

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><p><strong>Chapter 16 – Welcome to Ravenclaw Manor<strong>

There was a tapping from somewhere near my head and I groaned, rolling over and reaching out absently to my bedside table. I fumbled around for a moment before my fingers brushed polished wood and I scooped my wand up into my hand and waved it in the tapping's general direction. A cold breeze blew into my room and I curled up further under my blue doona. There was a low hooting near my ear and I groaned, squinting out from under the covers to see something scarlet land near my ear. I barely had time for a cohesive thought before the scarlet letter burst into flames and a loud voice echoed through my room.

_IT'S CHRISTMAS!_

_MAREE ANNABEL TEILOR, GET YOUR LAZY ARSE OUT OF BED AND OPEN YOUR PRESENTS! IT'S ALMOST NOON AND I JUST KNOW FROM YOUR TRACK RECORD THAT YOU WON'T BE UP YET! IF I'M UP, YOU SHOULD BE TOO! GET THE HELL UP!_

_Love, your darling Lexie_

Lexie's laughter died out moments after the Howler had finished the letter and I deemed it finally safe to come out from my cocoon of blankets that I had quickly used to cover my ears. That's it, Lexie was jumping right to the top of my hit list.

Stepping out of my bed, I stretched out my limbs and looked at my usual pile of Christmas presents that were heaped onto my small couch. I blinked a moment and rubbed my eyes before staring at the pile in confusion once more. The pile had to be at least twice the size of the one I had gotten last year and I frowned when I noticed a group that were right near the top that looked a lot like boxes of chocolate…

And then my presents moved.

I squealed, falling backwards and flailing my arms pathetically as I went down. On my way down I caught a glimpse of my clock and saw that Alexa had been lying and that it was, in fact, only ten o'clock in the morning, but almost immediately my eyes were drawn back to the moving pile of presents. I got up cautiously, creeping across the room as the piles shook slightly once more, and moved aside the top presents slowly. Part of me was praying to whoever was listening that one of the many people who hated me hadn't sent some evil creature as a sick joke when a black creature leaped up at me and I fell backwards flailing again.

Trying to regain my breath I started when the creature rubbed up against my legs and purred. I blinked and looked at the little black creature to find a kitten staring back at me dolefully as it mewled quietly. Some small part of me melted at the sight of the gorgeous creature and I melted, sitting up and pulling the adorable kitten onto my lap.

Wrapped around the kitten's neck was a sapphire-blue velvet ribbon and attached to the ribbon was a small card which simply said:

_Maree,  
>Merry Christmas!<br>I hope you like this little guy, I'm sure he'll like you.  
>From Sirius<em>

In my mind's eye I could see Sirius' infuriating smirk and scowled a little before smiling down at the gorgeous feline and scratching lightly behind its soft ears. The kitten turned its head slightly and licked at the tips of my fingers causing me to giggle a little under my breath. I sighed slightly before I froze in realisation and guilt crept up on me from behind. After all my scouring I had never managed to find Sirius a Christmas present and he had sent me the most adorable kitten ever.

I paused in my petting and looked the kitten in its wide, yellow eyes when a brilliant idea dawned upon me. Looking away from my new kitten to the pile with a smile, I cleared my throat and called out to my favourite house-elf. A moment later, Mitsy appeared with a loud _pop_ and bowed low.

"Mistress Maree wanteds to sees me?" Mitsy said from her bowing position and I waved her into a standing position.

"Mitsy, I need you to take some money and go see if you can acquire me an owl," I ordered in the most calm voice I could manage, "I don't mind what sort of owl, just one that is in good health, alright?"

Mitsy bowed low again and disappeared with another loud _pop_ as I glanced back to my monstrously large pile of gifts, an obscenely large amount that was wrapped in pink. I had half a mind to burn all of the disgustingly pink gifts on the spot but rejected that thought in case they were chocolate – there was just no sense in burning perfectly good chocolate. I sifted through the hideously pink gifts until I came across the first one that wasn't a shade of pink that ranged from fluorescent to electric. There was only a small group of gifts that weren't covered in pink and I pulled them out one by one to unwrap with the enthusiasm that was necessary.

The first present I found was a muggle fiction novel from Remus and a block of Honeydukes' best chocolate and underneath that was a bunch of prank items from James with a note that asked me not to use them on him. I giggled a little as I set James' present aside and picked up the next one on the pile and tore it open to find a new Ravenclaw scarf and a note from Alexis that warned me not to destroy it so quickly this time. I wrapped the scarf around my neck and grabbed the present that I found out was a Christmas-themed jumper from Grace. Lily had given me a book on charms and had signed the card from both her and Severus, trying for the third Christmas in a row to make it seem like Severus actually cared enough to send a gift. I sighed and set the book on top of Remus' before grabbing the box that contained a supply of Honeydukes chocolates from Peter.

Buried at the bottom of the pile was Alexa's present, an inscribed diary and a small, sapphire-blue collar. I rolled my eyes, reading her small letter and sighing – of course she had her fingers in that particular jam jar.

I set the other pile of presents aside to go through later and got up from my spot on the floor, letting my new kitten slide off of my lap harmlessly in the process. It mewled from its spot on the floor before rubbing against my legs once more. Giggling, I crossed the room to my door and moved out onto the landing, heading in the general direction of the kitchen. I jumped the last few steps on the main staircase and skipped over to the dining room. I threw the door wide and was halfway across the room when something locked into my peripheral vision.

My head turned almost on its own to find a tall, dignified, brunette male sitting at the head of the long dining table that took up the majority of the room. To his left sat an equally as tall, platinum blonde haired woman with a scowl on her face. Her eyes scanned over my small frame and she frowned even more. A part of me cursed Mitsy for not warning me about this and I sighed deeply before turning to face the middle-aged pair.

"Mother, Father, it's been a while," I greeted with a slight inclination of my head in their direction before going to continue on my journey to the kitchens.

"Good morning child," I heard my father respond in his crisp baritone whilst internally cringing at the same cold greeting as I had always gotten.

I had my hand clasped tightly around the cold door handle to the kitchens when my mother's tittering voice spoke up through the harsh silence.

"Are you not going to join your parents for breakfast child?" She said with a smile, the cutting edge not missed by any of the occupants in the room, "You haven't seen us in so long and this is the greeting we receive? One might think you were ungrateful."

I froze with my hand on the handle, half-turned in a move to push it open as my mother's words hung frostily in the air. The chill from her words bit into the back of my neck and I took a silent breath, steeling myself for what I was about to face. Mother was, after all, renowned in the international community for her ability to manipulate anyone into doing what she wanted – a trait I had unfortunately learnt ran in the family from the few times I had met Lucius.

Turning on my heel and releasing the door handle in a fluid motion I walked swiftly to a spot that was close enough to my parents to be respectful but far enough away that I wasn't in reaching distance of either of my parents' limbs should they feel the need to resort to violence – for all I knew they could have become extremely short-tempered in the five years since I last saw them and I was not about to be stupid enough to enter those shark-infested waters without just cause.

Ratchet popped up beside me as I sat and I smiled down at the quivering house-elf whilst she dropped into a shaky bow. Quietly, I told the small creature what I wanted and dismissed her to the kitchens to retrieve my breakfast, an act I hadn't performed with either of my elves in a long time, before sitting up respectfully and looking to my parents.

My mother's grey eyes appraised me with a look that one would usually reserve for dealing with the vilest of creatures and I shuddered a little under the intensity before looking to my father who simply stared blankly over steepled fingers. Trying my hardest not to visibly cringe under the looks I stared down at the place setting in front of me, the pristine white plates and polished silver gleaming in the lighting from the wide arched windows that lined the wall behind my father. I fidgeted a little under the feel of their combined gaze before quelling that urge and staring determinedly at a certain spot on the plate in front of me as I tried my best not to be swallowed into the suffocating silence.

Ratchet returned a moment later and placed my breakfast in front of me before disappearing again with a loud _pop_. I was grateful for the small distraction and had to fight the urge to tuck into my toast freely as I was so used to doing at Hogwarts, instead standing on airs that Alexa had told me one would normally apply to the late nineteenth century than to modern day Britain. It was a pain to slowly eat my small breakfast and after several minutes of effort I crumpled under the scrutiny and set my plate aside in favour of the small, blue tea cup that was steaming away a few centimetres away from my plate.

"At least her manners haven't entirely disintegrated without suitable company," I heard my mother say in a low voice that was clearly intended to carry to my ears. The cup twitched at my lips at the subtle dig at my muggle-born best friend before I took a small sip and placed the cup back down with the barest hints of a _clink_.

"The child might not be entirely hopeless after all," my mother commented carelessly, "She should be fine if Walburga's son is anything like what she has told us he is."

My eyes were drawn towards my parents almost against my will as my mother made that comment. I had, of course, had my suspicions that this was the reason she had called me home for the holidays but that didn't mean I was going to be content to go through with it. I found myself opening my mouth to shoot a snide comment back at my mother when I slammed it closed with a click of my jaw before picking up my tea cup again.

"At least the child can be of some use if she can be used to merge our family with another of noble blood," my father contributed quietly and I couldn't help but flinch at his words. I covered up my subtle movement with another small sip of my tea.

"You cannot be blamed for how useless the child is," my mother soothed my father in a sugary coo that made me freeze, "After all; it was all _her influence _that has moulded the child to the wrong ways."

My shoulders tensed as I found it increasingly hard not to open my mouth and snap at the adults that were seated at the head of the table. Only my small sense of self-preservation and slightly larger amount of self-restraint had been able to keep me reigned in so far and that was slowly snapping to pieces at my parents' words.

"It didn't help that my wretched sister continued the tainted influence on the child in place of her disgusting, filthy, blood-traitor mother."

The words seemed to echo in my ears for a long time before all control I had on my actions slipped and I slammed my hands down on the table, standing from my seat and glaring at the middle-aged couple. I was shaking in rage as my father and mother simply turned their eyes to me in disdain.

"Shut your mouths about my mother," I snarled, my hands curling around the table to prevent myself from bodily hurling myself at my parents, "You have no right to-"

"'No right'?" Celia Teilor cut in with a shrill laugh and a scathing look, "Look who's talking child. _You _are the one who has no right to talk to us, the very people who raised you, in such a disgraceful manner."

My pale-green eyes flicked to my mother's grey ones as my glare intensified, narrowing so far that I could barely see through the slits. She sat calmly in her chair and reached across the table to pick up her own tea cup and sip at it daintily, completely disregarding the glare I was sending her way. I ground my teeth loudly, my grip tightening even further on the table top as I felt the sudden urge to throw something at the woman next to my father.

"Sit back down child, enough of this ridiculous tantrum," Celia commanded regally as she shifted to cross her legs and take another sip of her tea.

"Ridiculous tantrum?" I parroted in an incredulous voice, "You insulted my mother you horrid bi-"

"Listen to your mother child," my father interrupted from his seat, sending a disgusted scowl in my direction, "Before I get mad."

"She is not my mother," I snarled, as my eyes locked with my father's, "She may have adopted me but she is not my real mother."

"That may be," my father said with a sharp edge to his voice that only heightened as he stared me down, "But I am your father and you _will_ listen to me before I feel the need to punish you for this undignified display."

A small, indignant voice in the back of my head screeched profanities at my father's name and - almost against my better judgement - I opened my mouth to argue back when I noticed my father's hand hovering over the handle of his wand. My mouth snapped shut and I sank back into my chair slowly, never once releasing my tight-fingered grip on the table until I had taken several deep breaths and was certain that I wouldn't throw anything when I let go.

I really should have expected this outcome; it was the same as every other time I had stood against them in anything. The couple shared disapproving looks as I stared down at a spot on the table in front of me and tried to ignore their presence and will myself away to another place. No one was quite as effective at making me feel like nothing than the Teilors were.

"… we expect you to be down here to greet our guests at six o'clock sharp child, make sure you are suitably dressed, we don't want to make a bad impression," my father said, his head tilted in my direction and I rose at the obvious dismissal. I nodded to the adults before turning and walking swiftly from the room.

As I made my way back to my room I clenched and unclenched my fists, muttering curses under my breath and absently counting down the months until I came of age so that I could be free of their hold over me. I frowned as I realised I still had a year and three months of their influence and had to work hard not to slam the door of my bedroom open when I reached it.

The little black kitten scurried out of the way as I stomped into the room and I blinked at it confusedly before the pieces all seemed to fall into place in my mind. Closing the door quietly, I slouched across the room to my window seat and picked up the large tome I had been devouring over the last few days. I flicked to the page I had left off at and continued reading, looking down after a few minutes at the low mewling that was sounding from the floor.

I looked down into the wide eyes of my new kitten before smiling and scooping it up into my arms, scratching behind its ears as I searched for the collar that Alexa had sent as part of her gift. Getting up from my seat, I picked up the collar and placed around the small, kitten's neck in place of the sapphire ribbon before moving to my bedside table to grab a spare piece of parchment that I had perched there next to a quill and bottle of black ink.

Dipping the quill into the ink, I scrawled a quick message on the parchment:

_Alexa Madeline Piper, you are a dead woman._

A moment later the message faded into the parchment and I smiled, glad that I had gotten the charm right again when I had set this parchment up for us to communicate with a few days previously. Alexa had been delighted that we didn't have to go to the trouble of dealing with temperamental owls just so we could talk to one another.

I was sitting on my bed, petting the kitten in my lap when a message appeared on the parchment.

_I take it you liked my Christmas message for you this morning then._

In my mind's eye I could see Alexa smiling in a self-satisfied way as she mulled her Christmas message over again with a small laugh. I scowled and took up my quill, scrawling another message underneath hers as it faded away.

_Oh yeah, I __loved__ it. Just what I needed to wake me up on Christmas morning. I hope you're prepared to face my vengeance when I return to the castle. Also, the kitten is adorable. I think I may name it something classy, like…_

I paused and tapped the side of my face thoughtfully before smirking darkly and setting my quill to the parchment again.

_Like Sparkles McPoofypants._

Setting the quill aside with a dark chuckle I only had to wait moments before Alexa's message appeared under my own.

_YOU CAN'T NAME SOME POOR, DEFENCELESS CREATURE SOMETHING HORRIFYING LIKE THAT!_

I laughed before responding once more.

_Can and will. It's my cat._

The kitten rubbed its head against my arm and appeared to stare at the parchment curiously as if it could understand what the parchment said. It was about to jump on top of the parchment when Alexa's new message appeared on the sheet and I placed a firm hand on top of the kitten to stop it getting in my road as I read her message.

_You will not inflict such a monstrosity onto the poor kitten. Name it something more normal like…_

The message trailed off and I waited until two more words showed up on the sheet.

_Like George._

I smiled and with a sense of finality responded with three words before setting my quill aside and returning to the window seat with the kitten clasped tightly in my arms as the words faded into the parchment.

_George it is._

Picking up my book once more, I let the kitten settle into my lap and resumed reading, chewing through the information swiftly as I absently scratched at the back of George's ears. George mewled contentedly and curled up on my lap, only looking up indignantly once when I paused scratching his ears to turn the page before returning to my actions. I wasn't sure how long I actually sat there reading but I had only made it about two pages before nothing was sinking in and my eyes were drifting shut.

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><p>"Mistress Maree!"<p>

Yelping at the sudden noise, my eyes jerked open and I only just managed to catch myself before I could fall off the window seat and onto the floor with my poor kitten in my lap. I checked the kitten over once as it mewled lowly and stretched out before looking around for the source of the noise that had woken me. Bowing next to my window seat with her ears touching the ground was Mitsy and I sighed as I rubbed at my eyes.

"What is it Mitsy?" I asked with a small yawn.

"I has returned from Mistress Maree's errand," Mitsy squeaked with a nod, "I founds an owl for Mistress Maree."

"Good job Mitsy," I said with a small smile as I stretched out my back glancing out the window to see how dark it was outside and freezing before turning back to my house-elf.

"Mitsy, what time is it?"

"It is quarters to six," Mitsy responded happily, glad to help me out. I, however, panicked and leaped from the window seat – glad that George had already jumped from my lap instead of being sent sprawling as I rushed for my wardrobe to find a suitable outfit.

I slammed the doors of my wardrobe wide and searched quickly, pulling out a blue dress made from a light material that floated with each move. With no thought for my house-elf audience I stripped out of my clothes and changed, shimmying into my dress carefully before securing the zipper at the side. Assessing my dress in the mirror that hung in my wardrobe I judged it as adequate before reaching into the pile of shoes at the bottom of the wardrobe, removing a strappy pair of high heels and throwing them onto the floor before dashing to my vanity to do my hair.

The thin bristles on my brush tore at the knots in my hair painfully but I pushed through before pinning half of the hair up hastily so I could apply a spot of make-up. I was just finishing with the mascara when I glanced into the mirror to see George squeezing through a small gap in the doorway, his collar discarded on the floor near my shoes. My eyes widened as the kitten finally made it through the doorway and out into the hall.

In a very un-ladylike fashion I cursed under my breath and dashed for my shoes and my kitten's collar before throwing my door wide and following the kitten out into the hallway.

I barely caught sight of the kitten as it ambled towards the main staircase of my house and I squealed, taking off after the kitten and accidentally knocking over an antique vase on my way. Further up the hall, George had knocked over a vase of his own and I cringed; this could not end well. My thoughts flashed to my parents and I suddenly yelled to the kitten in desperation as it rounded onto the staircase and bounded downwards.

"George! Don't go down there!" I yelled, not sure why I was bothering when the kitten would, most likely, already be visible to anyone in the Entrance Hall, "Mother and Father will get angry with me!"

I rounded the corner onto the stairs, descending a little ways before I felt a group of eyes trained in my direction and looked up sheepishly only to meet my mother's eyes and spy the mixture of anger and disdain in them. My eyes widened slightly but I found myself unable to leave the stare that my mother had locked me in. Trying my best to keep up formalities I smiled politely in the general direction of the guests with my eyes locked on my mother's.

When my mother finally looked away I became aware of all the other eyes that were directed my way and sighed a little to myself as I set my heels on the stairs before slipping into them carefully and standing up straight, holding George's collar behind my back as surreptitiously as I could manage in the situation. I was about to descend the stairs when a familiar voice caused me to falter and nearly trip.

"Maree?"

My eyes were drawn immediately to the source of the voice, his dark hair hanging in a neater way than I had ever seen it and his body swathed in neat, black dress-robes. As my eyes locked with his grey ones I had to fight to keep my jaw from dropping and after a minute I was finally able to coax my voice into working.

"_Black_?"

My mother's eyes snapped back to me immediately and I quailed a little before regaining my composure and looking to my parents' guests with a smile of forced welcome, ignoring the silent reprimand that was flying from my mother's direction.

"I'm sorry about that," I apologised graciously, "I was just a little shocked. I also apologise for my tardiness, it is unacceptable that I was unable to be here when you arrived so I could greet you properly. My name is Maree, welcome to my Ravenclaw Manor."


	17. The Final Straw

**Again, apologies that it took so long. You guys have no idea how many times I started and stopped and rewrote this chapter and now I've finally reached a stage where I am okay with it (But I am told I am unnaturally harsh on myself sometimes and I hope this is one of those cases)**

**Anyways, thanks for the reviews - and the death threats, they make me feel loved and wanted believe it or not so if you want to keep it up then by all means do so. Also, thank you for any new follows or faves. It's nice to know that you feel the need to track my story cause you liked it so much.**

**Uh, I don't own the Harry Potter universe but I do own all my little OCs I have thrown in.**

**Oh, Lexie told me not to advertise but she can't stop me - she can only get really, really, really, really mad later - but for those of you who don't know, Lexie wrote a short fic for this story called Zephyr (There's be a link on my profile) also, I don't think I ever mentioned that I did a doll divine thingo of my four main OCs for this and the link to that is also on my profile.**

**Now, enough of my prattling, and to the long awaited chapter!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 17 – The Final Straw<strong>

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><p><em>Quick Recap<em>

_"I'm sorry about that," I apologised graciously, "I was just a little shocked. I also apologise for my tardiness, it is unacceptable that I was unable to be here when you arrived so I could greet you properly. My name is Maree, welcome to my Ravenclaw Manor."_

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><p>The girl sitting opposite Sirius was calm, demure, polite, and a model example of a perfect, pureblood girl, and Sirius was having an immense amount of trouble trying to correlate this girl with the Ravenclaw spitfire that he had taken up a bet with. They were obviously the same person - they looked the same and shared the same voice – but the girl sitting opposite the dark-haired Gryffindor was clearly not the girl that he had spent the past few months getting acquainted with and Sirius wasn't sure why. Sirius spent his time observing the girl opposite him at the table, trying to draw parallels between this Heir of Ravenclaw and the spunky brunette who had gotten her friends to start a food fight in the Great Hall just to slip some potion in his drink; things weren't really lining up. Trying to let his attention be drawn elsewhere, Sirius sighed as he realised that he was completely stuck at a perfectly pureblood event.<p>

The quiet conversation that was being held by the adults at the table was the same pureblood drivel that Sirius had heard a million times before when forced to attend social events – societal gossip, slandering those of lesser blood status, praising those who stood to 'purify' wizarding society, work, more slandering of those of lesser blood status. Sirius had once thought he'd noticed the grip on Maree's cutlery tighten a little as the adults had degraded to using more derogatory terms against muggleborns, but he dismissed it as a trick of the light when he saw the composed, pureblood girl sitting opposite him once more and taking a dainty bite of a piece of strawberry cheesecake.

When the dessert course was finished, the adults had turned their attention to the teens sitting at the far end of the table from them and waited until they had the group's complete attention. A glance from the corner of his eye at Maree had Sirius furrowing his brow a little as she stared down at her parents, a blank look plastered across her face as she awaited instruction.

"Why don't you show the Black boys to the lower library child?" Maree's father had suggested as he rose from his seat, "There is much for us adults to discuss. We'll send Ratchet to retrieve you when we have need of you again."

A small nod from Maree to the man was all the answer he got before she rose and gestured silently for the boys to follow her out of the expansive dining hall and along a side passage. Glancing around quickly – and finding no adults watching them – Sirius smiled at the perfect opportunity to find out what was going on with the girl as he quickened his pace and fell in step with the young Ravenclaw.

"Maree?" Sirius inquired quietly, noting his brother's eyes following him as he stepped closer to the brunette and waved his hand in front of her face, "Maree? Maree."

Looking from his hand to the girl's face, he noticed a somewhat glazed look masking her face and he tilted his head curiously before raising his voice to try to call her name once more. There was absolutely no recognition on Maree's part and Sirius found himself slowly growing more and more frustrated. When - after a few moments - he still didn't get a response, Sirius clenched his fists as a flush of red rose in his cheeks.

_This is just getting ridiculous._

He made one final attempt call her name but when she didn't respond Sirius growled lowly under his breath before the sound of her mumbling under her breath reached his ears. He twisted his head slightly, trying to hear what she was saying and blinked a little as he heard her muttering little lessons in decorum that she had no doubt been taught as she grew up like so many other pureblood girls. Clearly, there was something wrong with this girl and Sirius knew just the trick to get her acting like normal again.

Stepping out from Maree's side and stopping in front of her, Sirius grabbed the shorter Ravenclaw by the shoulders to draw her to a stop. Sirius barely registered the fact that Maree was blinking her eyes up at him in confusion, awareness slowly reappearing on her features, when he leaned down and pressed his lips softly to hers. It felt as if a long moment had passed between the pair and Sirius just knew that his younger brother had stopped behind the pair in shock as Sirius gently applied a little pressure to the kiss. But the shock of the move didn't last long and Maree's eyes lost any remaining glaze as they widened in surprise before narrowing almost as quickly. She drew her face away and swung out with an open hand, the palm of which mad a satisfying _thwack_ noise when it made contact with the side of Sirius' face.

"_Sirius Black, what on Earth do you think you are doing_?" Maree nearly shrieked as she flew backwards from the Gryffindor and nearly ran into his younger brother, "You insufferable _prat!_ How _dare_ you do that? _What nerve_! I suppose they don't call you a Gryffindor for nothing you good-for-nothing arse! _What in Merlin's name do you think you were trying to pull_?"

"Glad to see you're acting normal again," Sirius replied easily with a lopsided grin, "I was wondering when someone that I could have a decent conversation with was going to return."

Maree gaped at Sirius, pointing at him incredulously and clenching her other fist absently as she tried to form a coherent sentence. "You… you…"

"Me," Sirius said with a small smirk, "Weren't you supposed to be showing us to a library, Maree?"

A dark flush rose in Maree's cheeks as she glanced behind herself to notice Regulus watching the entire scenario play out with a mixture of bemusement and resigned tolerance. He sent a sharp look in Sirius' direction before rolling his eyes as Maree turned on her heel and stalked along the corridor, opening a large cedar door on their left. Sirius followed the young Ravenclaw in silent amusement when he found himself drawn to a stop.

Sirius was barely aware of his brother pushing past him into the library when he came to a stop too. Members of the Black family were not easily awed, and that Christmas night Sirius had found himself hesitating in awe of the beautiful Ravenclaw Manor twice.

Rows and rows of shelves were packed from floor to ceiling with volumes in varying stages of wear and age. Sirius was almost certain that beneath the piles and piles of exquisite tomes the bookshelves were made of the same wood as the doorway but it was hard to draw one's eyes away from the books themselves to verify. Under foot the floor was carpeted in a deep shade of navy blue that stretched out for an age in every direction to compensate for the sheer amount of floor-space that the shelves of books took up. Opposite the door was an open fireplace, set beneath further shelves of books with more bookshelves crammed on either side. Sirius was just staring at the gilded marble surface of the fireplace when he caught a glimpse of Maree's knowing smirk from where she was lounging across a midnight-blue armchair.

"Come on guys," Maree commented idly as she reclined into the plush piece of furniture, "You look like you've never seen a library before."

"Not one like this," Sirius found himself responding before the thought had truly broken through his mind.

"Well, this _is _Ravenclaw Manor," Maree replied with a small roll of her eyes, "What did you expect to find, an indoor quidditch stadium?"

Sirius didn't know what to say as he continued looking at what seemed to be an endless amount of books. He realised that Regulus was still halted at his side but he barely gave his brother a second thought as he caught sight of a ladder leaning against one of the bookshelves to his right.

"Are you just going to stand there gaping all evening or do you want to come sit down?" Maree asked with a small sigh, unable to fight the amused smile from sliding across her face, "I never thought I'd see the great Sirius Black so fascinated by books."

The light laughter of the young Ravenclaw heir drew Sirius' attention and he scowled as his eyes snapped away from the impressive library. He took a few cautious steps into the room before squaring his shoulders and closing the distance between himself and Maree in a few quickened footfalls, sinking rigidly into one of the offered armchairs. Regulus was only a few steps behind and took the remaining chair, vaguely recognising that there were precisely enough chairs for only the three of them.

"Why so serious, Sirius?" Maree asked, her lips twitching at her own stupid pun, "You can relax you know. I promise that nothing within this room will eat you alive."

Sirius was still a bit hesitant to relax into the chair, it had only just fully occurred to him that he was in the manor of one of the founders of Hogwarts. Taking a long, deep breath to compose himself, Sirius leaned back into the midnight-blue armchair with a small sigh. Maree smiled a little in satisfaction as she kicked her legs over one armrest and reclined her back against the other. Regulus was watching the pair curiously from his seat as he relaxed comfortably into the cushions, every rumour he'd heard about the pair so far this year did not align with the image he saw before him.

"I didn't know you were the Heir of Ravenclaw," Sirius finally said to break the silence. Maree smirked and looked at Sirius.

"Most people don't, including Alexa," Maree replied easily, stretching out her back languidly as she responded, "And she would be most disappointed to find out that you knew first so I ask that you keep the point discrete lest she blow her top and destroy me and my house. She does have a small tendency towards blowing up sometimes."

Sirius snorted and relaxed further into the seat. "I might have noticed," he acknowledged, thoughts of the time he took Maree skipping to the front of his mind before he shook them away, "But that doesn't explain why you're acting so… different."

"You saw my mother did you not?" Maree responded with a scowl, "A thoroughly repugnant individual personality-wise and all about the pureblood finesse."

"That still doesn't explain-"

"I'm not exactly the daughter they want me to be so while I'm in their presence I at least try to act like a 'good pureblood'" Maree cut him off as she leaned her head back so she wasn't facing Sirius anymore, "Besides, I'm not even wanted anyway so I might as well make this situation as painless as possible."

Sirius could only blink at the revelation his peer had offered him, watching her closely as she seemed to realise what she'd been talking about and look at the two Black boys in horror.

"I didn't mean to say that. Pretend you weren't listening."

Maree reached to a bookshelf that was within her arm's length and grabbed a small book, flipping it open and propping it up in front of her face, clearly signalling that she did not want to discuss the topic further. Sirius wasn't about to let the subject drop though, and he wasn't a Gryffindor for naught, so he leaned over and plucked the book from the young Ravenclaw's hands.

"In case you haven't noticed, my parents aren't exactly pleased with me either," Sirius pointed out as he flipped through the yellowed pages, "So it's not like I'm entirely ignorant of the whole pureblood fanatic parents situation."

"Well, our situations are just the tiniest bit different, despite what you may believe from your observations," Maree responded with a shrug, reaching absently to see if she could grab another book and trying to take on a tone of finality, "Your parents don't like you because you turned your back on their teachings. My parents don't like me for an entirely different reason."

"And what reason is that?" Regulus interjected, causing two pairs of eyes to snap towards his relaxed form as he shrugged absently, "What? Now even I'm curious."

Maree sighed and looked away from the boys, a look of resignation crossing her features briefly as she stared into the bright fireplace. "I'm sure your parents already know about the great 'Teilor scandal' from a few years back anyway," Maree mumbled to herself before looking over in the boys' direction, "My parents dislike me because the Ravenclaw title skipped over my father and landed straight in my lap when my Aunt Polly died.

"Normally, this wouldn't be such a big deal but…" Maree chewed her lower lip absently and turned away again, "But I'm not exactly my father's, uh, legitimate child."

There was a long silence as Maree's words hung in the air and the two Black boys stared at the young brunette with matching expressions of shock. Sirius seemed to regain his self-control slightly quicker than his brother, but Regulus was the one who spoke first.

"So, you're not really a-" he began but Maree waved him off with a quick hand gesture.

"Oh, I'm really a pureblood, a Teilor, and – by extension – the rightful Heir to the house of Ravenclaw," Maree reassured with a small smile, "But I'm not a child born in wedlock. My birth mother was a Prewett; Melanie Prewett actually. My father had a fling with her once and that was how I came to exist but that's just off-topic. Because a female heir existed – following the death of my aunt – the rights to being Heir of Ravenclaw skipped over my father and fell onto me, as the tradition goes. There was nothing that annoyed father more than the fact that his illegitimate child had higher rights to his family's ancestral fortune than he did.

"Now I basically just do whatever they tell me to, within reason of course, it's the quickest way to get them off my back," Maree finished with a shrug, staring at the gilded fireplace for a long moment, "It's really not that interesting to be honest. They spend most of their time out of the country to avoid me actually, so it's not too bad."

Sirius was about to continue his line of enquiry when a loud _pop_ alerted the small group to the arrival of a fidgety house-elf. Sirius stared at the creature for a moment, before Maree stood from her chair with all the grace and poise befitting one who held the title of Heir of Ravenclaw.

"What room are they in Ratchet?" She asked briskly, a look of relief flashing across her features and Sirius knew that she was glad to leave their conversation topic behind her. The house-elf muttered a response for the green-eyed girl to hear and she nodded before turning back to her guests and gesturing for them to follow her as she strode across the room and back out into the hallway. Sharing a small glance with his brother, Sirius rose from his seat and trailed swiftly after their young host, following her the length of the hallway to a large set of arched doors.

There was a moment of hesitation when the teens all grouped together before Maree led the charge and pushed the doors wide, striding into the room where both pairs of adults stood on either side of a small coffee table. Atop the table, central between the two groups, was a long roll of parchment which was covered in print. This was obviously what the parents had gathered them here for and now it was simply a matter of waiting for the adults to offer some form of explanation.

But there was none.

In the long moment of silence, Walburga ushered her younger son forward, handing him a quill and directing him towards the sheet of paper. Sirius could only stand and blink a few times in shock, after all there was no way that his parents expected his younger brother to be the one to marry into the Ravenclaw family. Sirius had assumed that they would be trying to force him into the agreement, after all, it was more beneficial if the heirs of both families were the ones forced together. Apparently Sirius' sense of logic did not apply to the rest of his family for after only a moment of indecision, Regulus signed the sheet in front of him with a flourish.

All eyes turned to Maree as she stood framed in the large doorway. Sirius couldn;t help but marvel at the way she held herself under the assessing looks from both families before striding into the room and picking up the piece of parchment. There was a long silent moment as Maree read over the excessive amount of text offered to her. The only sounds that pervaded the room was the low breathing of each of the occupants and the slight shuffle of parchment as Maree read over the contract; the marriage contract.

Maree set the long piece of parchment down on the table and looked up, glancing at something across the room with a long blank look. Even as she leaned back over the piece of paper, Sirius wasn't worried because there was no way in hell that the Ravenclaw that he had spent the year coming to know would sign something like a marriage contract. After what she had just disclosed to the two boys Sirius felt certain that there was no way that she would buckle to pureblood society like that. The idea was simply laughable, to the point where Sirius was fighting not to let a chuckle slip... when she signed the paper.

Apparently Sirius wasn't the only one who had expected Maree to walk away from the contract, so there was a long drawn out moment of silence before the Blacks and the Teilors were shaking hands and celebrating a deal well done. Sirius was frozen in his place as Maree dropped the quill on the table and left the room without another word. It was a long while until anything registered through the haze that Maree's actions had caused and by that time, Sirius was boiling with fury and the Black family were walking into their home and a part of him knew that he wasn't going to be remaining in is family home much longer.

Sirius stormed up the stairs of Grimmauld Place, trying his best to ignore the exultant noises of his parents several floors below as he internally raged at the events of the night. He still couldn't believe what he'd just borne witness to in the Ravenclaw Manor and all he could see in his mind's eye was Maree Teilor as she walked silently away from the contract. A part of him hoping that he had imagined this entire evening and that he'd wake up and go to some ugly broad's house where his parents would try to force a marriage contract between them for the sake of their precious 'pure blood'; but he just knew that wasn't going to happen. Just like he knew that he really shouldn't have been as angry over the events as he was, but something about seeing Maree sign a marriage contract to _his brother_ made Sirius' blood boil.

The sound of quiet steps following his own heavy footfalls up the stairs alerted Sirius to the presence of his younger brother, forcing the older Black to bite back a snarl. It was an irrational response to his brother's presence – it wasn't as if Regulus had asked for things to go as they did – but Sirius felt some sort of vindictive pleasure as he aimed his anger at his younger brother and celebrating parents downstairs. Sirius heard the softer footfalls catching up with his own and he hastened his pace, kicking out at his bedroom door as he reached it before throwing his school trunk open violently and moving quickly through the room.

Clothes, books, and other Hogwarts supplies that had ended up scattered throughout Sirius' room over his short stay in his family home were suddenly sailing through the air in a haphazard arc - and somehow managing to mostly land within his trunk – when Regulus appeared in his older brother's room, taking in the chaos in a slow sweeping glance.

"What are you doing, Sirius?" the younger brother asked, ducking as a rogue shoe nearly smacked him in the head.

"What does it look like I'm doing, Reg?" Sirius growled back at the dark-haired teen that was now leaning languidly in his doorway, "I'm sick of this place. I'm leaving."

Regulus stiffened at his brother's words, shifting a little against the uncomfortable doorway as if to try to stop his brother before he settled back into his customary nonchalant stance – not that Sirius was paying any attention to his brother's body language as he was too busy scouring under his bed for his missing Gryffindor scarf. Regulus continued to watch him for another moment before hazarding a question. "Is this because of what happened at-"

Sirius was up from his spot on the floor in seconds, his wand pointing squarely at his younger brother's chest as he made a low, guttural noise that was strangely animalistic. "Don't even talk about that."

When it was clear that Regulus wasn't going to press the subject, Sirius dropped back to his hands and knees, reaching under his bed searchingly before withdrawing his scarf and throwing that at his trunk as well - missing spectacularly as the scarf fell to the ground only a little way from where he was. The dark-haired Gryffindor scowled at the offending item before stomping loudly across the room and retrieving the scarf before making the rest of the way to his trunk and tossing the scarf inside with a lot more force than was strictly necessary.

"You can't seriously be doing this again," Regulus sighed as Sirius glanced his room over once more before nodding to himself in a self-satisfied way as he forced all of the objects into the trunk more neatly and forced the lid down, "Mother will kill you when she finds out."

There was the sound of a snort and a click as the trunk's lid snapped down and encased all of Sirius' stuff. "That ought to be funny, but she'd have to catch me first."

Regulus took a cautious step into his brother's room, pausing as soon his brother sent a sharp glare his way before sighing loudly and crossing his arms over his chest. "Really now Sirius, how did you think this dinner was going to turn out?" Regulus said with a pointed scowl, "Did you think that Mother and Father were going to let us walk away from the Heir of Ravenclaw's manor without some sort of agreement between the two families? Did you honestly believe that we'd be able to walk away from the Heir of Ravenclaw without something to call for it?"

"I didn't think she'd sign the damn contract!" Sirius yelled standing abruptly to face-off against his brother, "I didn't think she was like that! Especially after what she told us! I thought she'd say no! I didn't think she was a-a-a-" Sirius threw his hands up in an exaggerated movement as a frustrated noise passed his lips. "I thought – I thought she was-"

"You thought she was like you?" Regulus offered quietly with a raised eyebrow, "You thought she'd scoff at those papers and turn them away like you would? Not everyone can be like you, Sirius."

Sirius didn't want to talk about it anymore, turning to pick up his trunk and drag it out into the hall when he caught sight of the shoe that nearly hit his brother and made several strangled noises. He promptly dropped his trunk – smirking a little in self-satisfaction as he heard it fall onto his brother's foot – before picking up his shoe. When he turned to place the last item into his trunk he let his grin grow as he saw his brother wincing from the pain that the heavy trunk had caused.

Not even bothering to shift the trunk, Sirius slipped the lid open just far enough so that he could place his shoe inside before snapping it shut with a little pressure – causing further wincing from the younger of the two. Heaving his trunk up from where it had landed, Sirius dragged the heavy luggage out onto the landing and began the long descent down the stairs - pausing for only a moment to collect some of his items out of the bathroom on the way past. Regulus was following his brother down the stairs, hissing at the stubborn Gryffindor's back the entire descent before throwing his hands up into the air and stomping back to his own room.

Clearly Sirius' passages from the top of the Black family home had not been as quiet as the teenager had hoped - granted Sirius was aware that he hadn't really been doing anything to make his travel quiet - for when he reached the entryway of the ancient home his parents stood waiting for him. Sirius swallowed deeply, gathering himself before moving down the last few steps with his trunk making several ominous clunking noises before it came to rest behind him as he watched his parents with wary eyes.

Orion Black stepped away from his wife's side to stand directly in front of his son, giving the teenager in front of him a long, assessing look before sliding a glance towards the trunk in Sirius' grip. "Where do you think you're going?"

Sirius braced himself, going rigid as his mind ticked over and his thoughts rushed to catch up with the situation at hand. His mind was stumbling over the various responses he could offer his father - the truth, the lies, the excuses – none of them seeming like the ideal answer that would get him from his spot at the foot of the stairs to the fireplace without getting hexed within an inch of his life; Sirius' hesitation lasted too long.

"_Well_?" Walburga practically screeched, her voice rising in octaves as her anger escalated, "_Where on Earth do you think you're going you ungrateful little brat_?"

Her shrill tone pierced Sirius' eardrums like a knife and he cringed, resolving himself to his fate as he squared off against his parents, bringing all of his Gryffindor courage around him for this moment.

"I'm leaving," Sirius responded quietly, meeting his father's eyes first before his eyes drifted to his mother, "I'm going and I'm not coming back."

"_What was that_?" Walburga enquired in a low dangerous tone, the contrast from her shrieking pitch accentuating her words further before her voice rose to a shrieking pitch once more. "How dare you behave like this you atrocious little blood-traitor? How dare you disrespect your house and your family in such a way?"

"You are to go back up those stairs with your trunk and you are not to speak another word of leaving this house again," Orion commanded, cutting in over his wife's outraged screeches and looking down his nose at his oldest son. Sirius quailed for only a moment under the man's gaze before shrugging his shoulders back and standing tall once more, looking the older man directly in the eyes.

"No." And with that response Sirius ran.

Orion was quick on the draw, pulling out his wand and shooting off a simple hex in his son's direction as Sirius struggled a bit to pull his bulky trunk along behind him. Walburga wasn't too far behind her husband and sent off a volley of_ near_-harmless hexes her son's way as well. Sirius drew his own wand and cast a quick shield charm to defend himself from his parents as he made to close the distance between himself and the kitchens. As he approached, escape shining right before is eyes, he noticed his mother stepping in front of his way and throwing a _stupefy _in his direction. Sirius ducked low and the curse sailed overhead harmlessly as he changed direction mid-movement and heading towards the fireplace in the lounge before his father stepped in front of the entryway. Seeing no other option, Sirius cast a quick feather-light charm on his trunk and ran towards the front door of his house. His parents made moves to try and stop him – even sending Kreacher to try and stop their rebellious son and ending up with a kicked house-elf for their trouble – but it was no use and soon the door was swinging shut and their oldest son was gone.

Only when he was several streets away from the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black did Sirius stop to gather his bearings and stow his wand away. Within his family's home and surrounded by his parent's magic it was nearly impossible for the Ministry to be able to link the usage of magic to himself, but out in the muggle world they would have no trouble tracking the dark-haired teenager down. Dropping his trunk onto the sidewalk, Sirius sat on its lid and contemplated his next move when a brilliant idea struck him.

He threw his right hand out to the street and waited.

With a deafening BANG a purple, triple-decker bus came careening out of thin air and swerved with a screeching of large, black wheels to a stop several metres to the left of Sirius. Sirius was staring at the gold lettering that proclaimed the vehicle to be 'The Knight Bus' when a middle-aged, balding man in a purple uniform stepped down from the bus and began to read loudly from a set of cue cards that were nestled in his sweaty palms.

"Welcome to The Knight Bus," the man announced in a slightly squeaky voice, "Emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Rob Cartwell and I'll be your conductor for this evening."

The man looked up from his cards with a showy smile when he noticed that he wasn't actually standing in front of his customer. He looked around for a moment before spotting Sirius several metres up the sidewalk and blinking a little in surprise. The middle-aged man tottered down the sidewalk until he was standing right next to Sirius, picking up his trunk before dragging it back towards the stairs to the bus. Sirius couldn't really care what happened now, he only knew that he was gone for good, and he'd never have to return to that pureblood hellhole again.


	18. Small Victories

**Firstly, I'd like to apologise for the extreme delay in updates - hopefully it will never be that bad again but sometimes things happen - secondly, I'd like to thank everyone who has stuck by me despite my delay in updating and I hope the update is at least somewhat worth the wait. I was very happy every time I got a review and you guys should know I felt terrible that I was unable to update before now.**

**Now that the apologies are over, again mega thanks for all reviews, I loved receiving each and every one of them and I would appreciate more.**

**If you haven't figured it out by now, I do not own Harry Potter, I do own my OCs. Those are mine. Everything you recognise from other media sources are probably from those media sources and not owned by me as well.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 18 – Small Victories<strong>

The snow crunched under my feet as I trudged up the path from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts watching absently as my breath ghosted up in front of me while I pulled my trunk behind me. As the trip dragged out I severely regretted my decision to not put on my dragonhide gloves before beginning my little trek, cursing the feeling of the trunk's handle dig into my exposed skin that was suffering a double onslaught from the handle and the frigid outdoor air. I couldn't have been happier when I finally entered Hogwarts' grounds and I was legally allowed to perform magic again. Promptly dropping my trunk, I drew my wand and levitated the large monstrosity so that it was floating a good distance in front of me as I quickened my pace, mentally patting my back at the thought of leaving George at the Manor for Mitsy to drop off at the school later.

Looking up from the frozen grounds of the school, I caught sight of my Head of House, Professor Flitwick standing in the entrance of the school as he waved a wand at the gates beyond my back and there was a resounding clanging from them swinging shut. I smiled, the finality of being back at Hogwarts sending a warm, fuzzy feeling thrumming through my veins.

"Sorry about having you open the gates for me this early professor," I said with a deprecating smile when I was within the diminuitive Professor's hearing range, a light blush creeping along my face – which probably wasn't really noticeable under the bright pink wind-bitten skin, "Something came up and I had to come back early."

"Not to worry," Professor Flitwick responded in his customary squeak, "It wasn't a problem, not for one of my best students."

I was pretty sure that this time my blush was very visible under my bright pink skin while I tried to stutter out a quick thanks, depositing my trunk just inside the doors as I paused to try to get my circulation going again and unwind the Ravenclaw scarf that I had wrapped reasonably tightly around the lower part of my face. Flitwick waved me off and stepped back inside as well, closing the great doors behind us before moving off with a quick goodbye. It wasn't long before a house elf popped up and grabbed my trunk and scarf before moving off again.

"_Maree Annabel Teilor_! What in Merlin's name are you doing back at school so early?" A loud familiar voice shouted across the entrance hall before I was enfolded in the firm grip of my best friend as I stumbled to regain my balance.

"Well firstly, that bloody hurt Alexa," I answered with a small groan, wrapping my own arms around Alexa before holding her out at arm's length, "Secondly, lovely to see you too and you're totally getting it for that Howler; and thirdly, can't a girl decide she wants to finish her dismal holiday early and return to her school without having her motives questioned?"

"No, no she can't," Alexa replied with a kind of finality, "Why are you back here so early Maree?"

"Well, obviously I missed your wonderful company," I said with a wide smile, "Why else would I want to return so early?"

"Don't even tried to feed me that bull Maree, I know you better than that," Alexa deadpanned as I shrugged in response.

"A girl can always try."

"Maree." Alexa did not sound amused which only served to heighten my amusement in this whole matter, after all, what could be more amusing than annoying your best friend?

I linked my arm through Alexa's and dragged her forcefully in the direction of the kitchens, prattling on as I dragged her along about inane things to several frosty responses ("Geez Lexie, you're way more frosty than the weather outside, can't you take a joke?") and let her deal with the fruit bowl portrait when we came upon it.

As we settled around a small table with a couple of hot chocolates, Alexa leveled her eyes at me over the rim of her steamy mug, letting her glasses fog a little as she gazed steadily at me. I took a small sip, avoiding her eyes expertly as the house elves bustled loudly around us as if to subconsciously help me avoid the conversation I was no doubt about to have with Alexa. It took a long moment of silence before my curly-haired best friend decided she had waited long enough and was ready to set the ball rolling.

"Okay Maree," Alexa began as she set her mug aside to cool a bit as a small elf placed a plate of biscuits between us and disappeared into the crowd, "What's the real reason that you're back so early?"

My mug clinked against the wooden table as I set it next to the biscuits and took one. I chewed slowly as I contemplated my response before setting my half-eaten biscuit on the edge of the plate and met Alexa's eyes with a small smile.

"Well, I figured it was better to be back at Hogwarts before my father and his wife haul arse back from Burma or America or wherever the hell they've gone this time and try to kill me," I said quietly with a small shrug.

Alexa's brow furrowed as I avoided her eyes again, sipping at my drink to avoid having to elaborate on my statement as Alexa slowly thought it through before opening up her enquiry again.

"Maree…" Alexa began slowly, trying to draw my eyes back to hers – and succeeding in a marvellously short amount of time, damn best friend of mine, "What on Earth did you do?"

"Well, basically I… you see... I may have... falsifiedasignatureonamarriagecontractthatmyparent swantedmetosignandthereforemadeitinvalid," I muttered, slurring my words together and flushing lightly. The curly-haired brunette blinked once before tilting her head to the side with a slightly amused look on her face.

"Come again?"

I took a deep breath and met my best friend's eyes carefully with a blush as I repeated myself in a slightly louder voice. "I falsified a signature on a marriage contract that my parents wanted me to sign and therefore made it invalid…"

There was a long moment of silence between us as I looked away again and fiddled idly with the handle of the mug as Alexa took a moment to process what I had said. The moment everything clicked in Alexa's mind, she let out an amused snort and I glanced up at her with the side of my lip twitching. All it took was for our eyes to meet before we both burst into raucous laughter, bending over as the peals of giggles and undignified snorts (most of which came from me) as we shared in my small moment of triumph against my father and step-mother. It was a long time before we managed to collect ourselves and died down to the occasional giggle or chuckle.

"You are so dead the next time they see you," Alexa stated, before the situation crashed on her and she sobered up, "Oh dear, Maree, what are you gonna do this summer? I'd offer you a place to stay but-"

"Calm down Lexie," I chuckled, "I've got it covered. While I was stuck at home alone I spent a lot of time reading, and I came up with a solution. As of the age of sixteen, a minor is allowed to seek legal emancipation from their guardians and attain any inheritances that have been placed upon them – provided that the inheritance is coming directly from someone who is classified as deceased. It was all in the set of Ministry laws and by-laws."

"And where the heck did _you_ get a copy of the Ministry's laws and by-laws?" Alexa asked sceptically, a twinge of hope underlying her tone.

I raised an eyebrow at Alexa as I smiled indulgently, "I was at _Ravenclaw Manor_, you didn't honestly think there wouldn't be a self-updating book of Ministry laws and by-laws, did you?" Alexa remained silent and I giggled, "That's adorable. For the record, the Ravenclaw family liked to have books on _everything_, just in case you doubt the source of my knowledge again."

Alexa, looking properly chastised, shrugged with a small smile, "Just had to be sure."

"So anyway, all I have to do is wait until the fourteenth of March, file the right papers with the Ministry, and then you'll be eating lunch with the new Lady Maree Annabel Teilor-Ravenclaw," I finished with a smirk and a shrug, sipping at my drink again, vaguely noting that it had refilled itself while I wasn't looking.

Handy little things house-elves are.

There was a long period of companionable silence while we both drank our hot drinks, glad when a helpful elf left a bag of marshmallows on the table nearby so that we could enjoy those along with our biscuits.

"So…" Alexa began, cutting into the silence once more, "Who was the contract with, anyway? Don't think I didn't notice you leaving that little bit out."

"Maybe I left it out 'cause it wasn't important," I replied with a shrug, avoiding eye contact.

"Of course it's important," Alexa exclaimed, waving her hands wildly to try to get her message across, "It can't have been that bad. Who was it, a Malfoy?" I shook my head, avoiding direct eye contact like the plague. "A Lestrange?" More head shaking before Alexa looked like a bolt of lightning had struck her down.

"Don't tell me it was Siri-"

"Maree! You're back!"

Both our heads whirled towards the door as a couple of brunette blurs zipped across the room and I was sent tumbling to the floor with the weight of two bodies holding me down. I coughed, wiggling as the brunette blurs proceeded to hug the life out of me with my best friend sitting above them laughing.

"Uh, Alex, Gracie… the hell?"

There was a long moment where the two girls on top of me just laid there before they pulled away with wide grins on their faces. I tried to pull myself up but was unsuccessful as my chair was robbed and my upper body was pushed back down onto the floor, I was exceptionally happy that I'd decided to wear jeans.

"_Guys_…" I whined, wriggling about on the floor, "Let me up, _please_."

Finally, Alexis lifted her foot, smirking down at me as I scrambled to my feet, brushing down my clothes of non-existent dust. I pulled up an extra chair, reclaiming my mug of hot chocolate as a couple of house-elves showed up with a mug each for Alexis and Grace.

"So…" I trailed off, glancing between my newly arrived friends, "What was that for?"

"_That_," Grace said as she took a sip of her hot chocolate before shooting me a smug look over the rim, "Was for coming back to Hogwarts early and not telling us."

"And for then proceeding to have a hot chocolate date in the kitchen and not telling us," Alexis added with a small shrug and a dark smile my way, "Expect more revenge at a later date."

"So, what did we miss?" Grace asked as she looked between me and Alexa, an eyebrow raised in inquiry.

Alexa shrugged with an evil smile, "Oh, y'know, the usual for Maree; avoiding giving direct answers, aiming to get killed by her family, and hiding in the kitchens drinking hot chocolate."

I stuck my tongue out at my best friend before taking a large bite out of a biscuit to get rid of the option of answering questions which turned out to not be as wise an idea as I thought. For whilst the solution stopped me from answering questions, it also stopped me from being able to defend myself.

"So what'd she do to upset her parents this time?" Alexis asked, smirking conspiratorially with Alexa and Grace as I avoided direct eye contact with any of them.

"Oh, let me guess!" Grace yelled, throwing her hand in the air like an excited kid on their first day of school, "She messed up all their clothes in their wardrobe."

"Nah, that's too small for Maree," Alexis disagreed, shaking her head in disappointment, "She probably rigged something on the front door so that when they came home they ended up with cakes thrown in their faces or something…" Alexis trailed off with a thoughtful look. "We are so doing that to the Gryffindor common room or Great Hall or something now. It's a thing. This is happening. It's going in the book."

"Nah guys," Alexa sighed with a sad look on her face, whilst Alexis pulled her notebook from the folds of her robes and jotted down her idea, "You both got it wrong… they raided her room and found a stash of muggle pornography."

I choked.

"_**Alexa Madeline Piper**_! Where the hell did that come from?" I shrieked after I managed to clear the biscuit from my system and found my three closest friends collapsed against each other and heaving with laughter. A deep red blush crept up my neck and across my face as I tried to splutter some response to Alexa's statement while my friends all laughed at my expense. It was several, long minutes before the others calmed down enough to talk again.

"So what really happened?" Grace asked between giggles as she wiped her eyes, "What's gonna get our darling Maree slaughtered this time?"

"If you must know," I grumbled with a scowl at the girls, "I falsified a signature on a marriage contract."

It was Alexis' turn to choke.

"Oh shit," Alexis said in a breathless voice, her eyes wide, "Your parents aren't the only ones who are gonna be coming after you 'Ree."

"Obviously," I scoffed, crossing my arms defensively and turning my head away from Alexis, "I'm well aware that I'm in major trouble but I don't even care. No-one's forcing me into a marriage with someone I don't even care for."

Alexis sent me a long look, brushing her ashy-brown hair behind her ear and out of her face. Grace was glancing between us, her chocolate-brown ponytail flying from side-to-side behind her with each twitch of her head finally settling on the Slytherin in our group as Alexis posed her next question.

"So… who was the contract with?"

I mumbled a response before taking another big bite out of a biscuit. Unfortunately my mumbled response wasn't low enough, as Alexis went paler than normal with her jaw dropped open.

"_Tell me you're joking_!" Alexis spluttered, shooting away from the table and shooting me an incredulous look. When I made no move to correct her assumption, Alexis paled even further, becoming an almost sickly colour as she started up a long line of expletives under her breath.

"What?" Alexa asked, looking between us, "How bad is it? Alex? Maree?"

"She falsified a signature on a marriage contract to Regulus Black," Alexis said in a low voice, the shocked look never leaving her face, "Merlin Maree, if I knew you were suicidal I would have pushed you off the Astronomy Tower myself."

Alexa let out a long sigh as Grace inhaled sharply.

"You really don't do things halfway do you Maree? Of all the pureblood families to mess with to spite your parents, you had to pick _the _pureblood family didn't you?" Alexa leaned her elbows on the table and began rubbing her temples as she continued in a mumble, "So now that only makes ninety-nine percent of the Wizarding World that want to kill you. If someone tries to murder you in your sleep I'm not even going to stop them because you just bring this down on yourself."

Fiddling with the hem of my coat, I couldn't bring myself to look at any friends as I felt their stares on my hunched form. There was a long moment where Alexis and Alexa muttered about my suicidal tendencies in great detail – with several expletives directed my way on Alexis' part – before Grace cut into the low noise abruptly.

"Do you mean to tell me that you had Sirius and his family over at your house?"

The room froze as the idea dawned on both of the other two girls in the room and they sent dark looks my way as I gave a small nod. There was another long moment of silence before someone snorted and the girls broke out in snickers as they shared evil looks over my head. Grace propped her elbow on the table and leaned into her palm, a devious smile being shot my way as Alexis reclaimed her seat and mimicked Grace's position.

"So, did you manage to corner loverboy under the mistletoe? Share any romantic moments? Came on Maree, details, details; you can't leave us hanging like this," Grace demanded as the flush crept up my cheeks again causing Grace to snicker at the look on my face.

"Since when do you want gossip about Sirius Black?" I deflected, scowling at my friends even as the flush rose up my cheeks.

"Since it involves you, 'Ree," Alexis responded, smiling with mischief written in her eyes, "Now come on, details, details."

"Since when do you call me 'Ree?" I asked, furrowing my brows at the slightly shorter brunette.

"Since just now, now stop avoiding the question."

Letting out a long sigh, I muttered a bunch of expletives under my breath before scowling back at my friends. "Well, the Blacks came over, we had dinner, talked about all sorts of lovely pureblood things, Sirius kissed me, we chilled in the library, and I falsified my signature on a marriage contract. See, nothing to fuss about, boring stuff reall-"

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Rewind like two three dot points and freeze," Grace exclaimed, her mouth wide open, "Sirius _kissed _you? Like, on the _lips_?"

"No Grace, on my _arse_, where did you think?" I grouched sarcastically, folding my arms tighter and pouting a little, "Y'know, I don't remember us ever being this girly before. Can we go back to the good old days? Where we just discussed pranks and things, y'know? Let's plan a prank guys."

"Oh no, we're talking about your love life now," Grace cut in, her smile widening immensely, "At this present moment that's far more interesting. So… how was the kiss?"

I began to splutter, my complexion slowly growing redder until I could almost resemble a tomato as Grace began to giggle in a seriously high-pitched, girly way.

"…It was nice," I admitted quietly before biting my lip and Alexis crowed in joy.

"_I knew you'd fall for him!_ You now owe me two galleons." Alexis held her hand out to me and I scowled.

"I did not say I had fallen for him," I growled, "Just because I can appreciate a bloke's kissing skills does not mean that I have fallen for them."

Alexa, Alexis, and Grace all shared a look before they came to a decisive conclusion. "Denial."

"I have not fallen for him!" I objected loudly, standing up abruptly and knocking my chair over.

"Sure, sure," Alexa appeased, "But when you've finished lying to yourself, you're still gonna have to pay Alex those two galleons."

"As my best friend, isn't it a legal obligation to be on my side or something," I grumbled.

"Was that in your book of Ministry laws?" Alexa asked sarcastically, "'Cause the way I see it is, as your best friend, it's my legal obligation to tell you when you're being stupid and should just hand over the money."

Grace interjected at that point, waving her hand to dismiss any further conversation on that tangent and turned back to me, a cat-like grin stretched her face in a way that made me worry for my well-being.

"So, since he kissed you, are you two finally gonna quit pussy-footing around and just go out already?" Grace asked with a small tilt of her head.

I stalled before blanching and swallowing nervously. "Well, actually, I would assume that Sirius is rather pissed at me at the moment."

"Was your kissing that terrible?"

"No my kissing was not- how do you even jump to that conclusion?" I said incredulously, furrowing my brows in Grace's direction and spreading my arms in question, "No, it's more to do with the fact that I caught Sirius storming out of the Manor after I 'signed' the contract. I think he thought I signed it or something, though I've written him a letter explaining it a little, I still think he'll be upsetfor some reason..."

Alexa deadpanned and slapped a hand against her forehead as she muttered something under her breath that sounded a lot like, "I can't believe you're really that dense Maree." Whilst Alexis and Grace shared looks before gazing back at me again as I sat down once more.

"So, what did you sign the contract with anyway?" Alexis asked curiously.

I smirked. "Well…"

* * *

><p><span><em>Meanwhile at Potter Manor<em>

Sirius groaned as bright sunlight streamed into the room and tried to bury his face in the pillow. It wasn't long before the warm sanctity of his blanket was ripped away from him and his skin was exposed to the frigid winter air. Sirius sat up abruptly and glared at the messy-haired demon that had stolen his source of warmth so suddenly. The subject of his ire however didn't seem to care as he perched himself on the end of the bed and looked to Sirius expectantly through his wire-rimmed glasses.

"Well Pads, you promised me an explanation this morning and seeing as you have roughly-" here the demon at the end of his bed checked his watch before looking back to him, "An hour left until it's no longer morning, I think you should start talking."

"You, James Potter, are a complete arse," Sirius growled, flinging his pillow at his fellow Gryffindor's head. James laughed as he ducked out of the way of the projectile and grinned roguishly at his best friend.

"Come now Sirius, don't be like that," James said with a slight whine in his voice, "After I answered your crazy mirror call at one in the morning and let you in out of the goodness of my heart you promised that you would explain in the morning. It is now the morning and you got some explaining to do."

Sirius sighed, conceding defeat to his best friend before climbing out of bed and pulling open his trunk, digging for some clothes as he related the events of the previous day over his shoulder. The messy-haired Gryffindor stayed silent for the entire story, watching Sirius pull on a pair of baggy jeans and a fitted black t-shirt as the story went on.

"-And now, the girl I've been chasing all year is betrothed to my baby brother while I'm left looking like an idiot," Sirius concluded with a heavy sigh.

There was a long moment of silence where neither of the boys said anything before Sirius looked over at James in worry, wondering what had his friend so silent. Suddenly the spectacled boy blurted out, "So you finally got to kiss her then?"

Sirius deadpanned, pausing in finger-combing his hair and staring at his best friend with a blank face. He sighed a bit and shook his head. "Really James, of all things, _that's _the part that you focus on? Not the fact that she's now engaged to my little brother even though she knows I've been chasing her, but the fact that I finally got to kiss her?"

"Was it worth it?" James asked, eyeing Sirius in a knowing way and Sirius sighed looking away.

"Definitely," Sirius answered then rubbed at his cheek as he felt a twinge in remembrance, "The slapping part of it kinda sucked though."

James roared with laughter at his best friend's misfortune, collapsing backwards onto the bed when there was a knock on the door to the bedroom. Making a vague noise to let the person know they could enter, James tried to collect himself as the door swung open. The Gryffindor boys looked together to see the tall, aristocratic form of James' mother. Her dark, greying hair was pulled back in an elegant twist and a set of scarlet robes swished around her body and down to her ankles gracefully.

Mrs Potter smiled at the two boys in greeting, brushing an imaginary piece of lint off the shoulder of her robes. "Good morning boys. It's lovely to see you again Sirius darling, even if it was on exceptionally short notice." Sirius flushed and tried to stutter an apology but Mrs Potter waved it off kindly, "Not to worry dear, you know we love to have you."

"I thought you were working this morning mum," James said, smiling at his mother while his brows furrowed slightly in confusion, "Shouldn't you still be at Ministry?"

"I've just popped home for my lunch break darling, I heard the funniest story and I thought you boys would appreciate the havoc that's been going on the legal forms and documents section of the Ministry this morning," Mrs Potter replied with a small giggle, sweeping across the room and sitting daintily on the edge of the bed, for an older lady, Mrs Potter walked with all the grace and vanity of a young lady of a noble house whilst still retaining the proper dignity for a woman of her age.

Leaning against the wall, Sirius slid down until he was sitting cross-legged on the floor in preparation for the story, facing the Potters on the bed. James faced his mother with the wide-eyed look of a much younger boy settling in for a bedtime story and Mrs Potter smiled down at her son indulgently, ruffling his hair and chuckling as he let out an indignant squawk.

"So, anyway, a few of the officials who work in the legal forms and documents department this morning showed up and found a few new forms and documents that had been submitted whilst they had the day off yesterday and among these forms was a betrothal contract drawn up for between two of the noble houses," Mrs Potter began, before giggling slightly, "Well, as my friend Vivienne tells it, the person in charge of that document was about to file the contract when he looked it over and snorted quite loudly considering they are a generally silent filing division, so naturally he drew a lot of attention.

"It wasn't long until the contract was floating between all the workers and the office was in raucous laughter. Vivienne nearly collapsed in laughter when she saw it. The poor worker had to send out letters to the two families involved in the contract. It seems that where the young lady involved in the contract was supposed to sign her name, she had written in precise calligraphy 'Not Bloody Likely'," Mrs Potter finished, bursting into a peal of giggles as a quiet tapping sounded from the window.

Sirius got up from the floor and crossed the room to open the window for a young barn owl which hopped in and held his leg out. Looking the owl over carefully, Sirius removed the envelope where his name was printed in a vaguely familiar hand.

"Which families were involved mum?" James asked as Sirius pried the seal on the letter open carefully, pulling out a small piece of folded parchment and flicking it open.

He glanced the letter over quickly before looking to Mrs Potter in astonishment as she chuckled, "I believe the young lady was the heir of Ravenclaw if I heard the rumours correctly and the other family was… I can't seem to recall-"

"The Blacks, Regulus," Sirius muttered, looking back down at the letter he'd just been handed. James looked over at his best friend.

"You say something, mate?"

"Hmmm?" Sirius hummed absently in question, meeting his friend's eyes for a moment, "Oh, the other person in the contract, it was Regulus."

He blanked out as he looked down at the letter once more, reading it over in his head silently:

_Merry Christmas Sirius!_

_I'm sorry that this present was a bit delayed, but I just couldn't figure out what to get you and that buggering best friend of yours was no help at all. Hope he likes that broomstick service kit, it'll be the last present he gets from me, the unhelpful git._

_Sorry I dashed out of the room on you tonight (or last night I guess depending on when you get this) but I kinda put a falsified signature on that contract and didn't want to be in the room when everyone found out, hopefully I'll be back at Hogwarts before they're informed._

_Suckers._

_Hope you like your present, I wanted to name him Fluffy McTufttail but Alexa nixed that idea so he is now just plain Bilbo, but we call him Bill for short. Be nice, he seems a friendly sort._

_From,_

_Maree_


End file.
